From Nor Ashkharh weekly (May 18, 2009, p. 6) and Nor Or weekly (May 28, 2009, p. 6):
AGBU Athens Women’s Committee, together with the Museum of Greek Folk Art, organized a lecture on Armenian popular art on May 10, 2009 at the museum located in the Plaka district of Athens.
Gianoula Kaplani, director of the museum, explained the strong relationship between the Greek and Armenian peoples, stressing that historical memory was more powerful than any type of violence.
The keynote speaker, Anna Balyan, principal researcher at the Ottoman Art Museum, presented the main elements of Armenian popular art, described the important role played by the church in the creation of art, and compared Armenian and Greek folk and religious artifacts having come from Asia Minor.
AGBU Central Committee of Greece Chairman Hagop Fesdjian then presented Mr. Hagop Djelalian, focusing on his activity in support of Armenia and the Armenian community in Greece. Mr. Djelalian, in turn, noted that popular cultural exchanges between nations don’t cause harm to culture; instead, they contribute to its perpetuation. the album devoted to the Jelalian collection in the Sardarabad Museum.
The next to speak was Arda Djelalian-Bedigian, who read the preface to the album devoted to the collection of artifacts assembled by her father Hagop Djelalian, which contains some 300 specimens of Armenian ecclesiastical items, ceremonial vessels, artistic embroideries, rugs, etc., the majority dating from the 17th-19th centuries. This collection was completed in 2001 and donated to the Sardarabad Museum in Armenia, earning the donor the title of the “museum’s best friend.”
Mrs. Yeghis Basmadjian made a very beautiful recitation in Greek of Avedik Isahakian’s poem “Our Historians and Our Bards.”
Pianist Mrs. Christine Tokatlian played several folk dances arranged by Komitas.
Mr. Hagop Kolanian played his own arrangement of three native dance tunes for guitar.
The program ended with the rendition of a selection of Armenian and Greek songs prepared by the Greek-Armenian musician Stepan Tekirian. They were presented beautifully by the band leader himself (piano, song), Vahan Galstian (shuvi and duduk) and Lefteris Havoutsas (oud).
Translated by Aris Sevag, photo via the AGBU Europe blog
