Advisor to the Governor of Shirak Marz, Hasmik Kirakosyan, who for many years was the head of the Culture in Gyumri, then in the Marz, ahead to Gyumri Day told an exciting episode from the cultural life of this city to Aravot.am. According to Hasmik Kirakosyan, in 1993, when she was the head of the Department of Culture in Gyumri, Aghasi Shaboyan traveled to Iraq with the dance ensemble to take part in the dance festival. “It was the sequential dance ensemble festival in Babylon, Iraq. Interestingly, the festival was to take place in the old amphitheater, which had a historical value, a bit far from this place, Nineveh, Semiramis residence with its 7 royal doors was located. It’s a very interesting area, a historical one. I had gone with my very dear master Aghasi Shaboyan.
Do you know that Shaboyan’s spirit was as such that if he was present, the Armenian dance should stamp so that the world could hear. The festival was to be attended by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein with his two children. One of them was disabled and had mobility disorder, and the other one was quite young and undersized man. By the way, I must say that their nurse was an Armenian and the boys knew pretty much Armenian songs and Armenian words, mostly positive and expressing good meaning, “you’re pretty, you’re good, Armenia is good”, such words. This was the result of the nurse’s education. Dance ensembles were walking in the streets in rows, afterwards accompanied with their flags and mentors, they were moving to the music hall, to amphitheater. The festival was attended by quite many Eastern countries, and I was thinking, “What should we do to have no one prevailing us?”
I heard that Turkey was to be on the stage ahead of us. I was interested to know whether they had come with a big ensemble, the administrator told us that they had watched the rehearsal of the Turkish ensemble and they had several instruments and no singer. That was Turkey’s presentation. When I learned about this, I began looking for a big Armenian flag, the one we took with us, the tri-color, was small. True, you can make great deeds with a small flag, because it’s the Armenian flag, but in all cases, the flag should also be big. And inquired that there is a big flag in the ARF local office, I went there at night and brought it by car, gave it to Shaboyan’s girls to iron, they stretched it out on the floor to iron it and took it to a technical worker to attach an appropriate metal rod, folded it and said, “when the Armenian zurna sounds, let this flag slowly go down from above.
I must say that Turkey was on the stage prior to us with a simple, gray presentation. But as soon as the sound zurna sounded, there was no delegation staging, only the commentators were talking, so I went and told that I wanted to make a speech and I came out to the stage with an interpreter. I came out on the stage and outstretching my two arm up high and said, “Hello, Armenians”, you cannot imagine what happened, all the torches and fires were lit from various seats of the amphitheater and such a shout went up. They were chanting Ar-me-ni-a, as if the entire nation was chanting. All of them were Armenians’, weren’t they? Armenians’ shouts were so many that included all into it, and it left the impression that only Armenia was present. I said warm words to Saddam Hussein, I said that he brings the age-old enemy peoples and nations together and make them be friends, and friendship should rule in the world, no generation is born to die soon, to die artificially, let the muses sound, let the cannons be silent.” tells the lady.
According to her, during her speech, Saddam Hussein stood up and started to applaud, later all attendees stood up and applauded. And when after Hasmik Kirakosyan’s speech the zurna sounded and Shaboyan dance band came to the stage, amphitheater stood still. “After my words, Shaboyan’s imposing, this wonderful dance ensemble went on the stage, and danced Kochari under the beats of several dhols. You should have seen what happened… We were very tired when we got to the hotel that we had enjoyed the pleasure of the day. We had not yet reached the destination when people came and told that Saddam Hussein invites the lady and Aghasi Shaboyan to dine for this wonderful presentation. We kindly accepted the invitation, and on that day, I received earrings from Saddam Hussein as a gift. This is Gyumri with its culture,” says Hasmik Kirakosyan.
Details in the video
Nune AREVSHATYAN
