Just remember…

Nobody was spared. Everybody lost a dear one on December 7, 1988 in Gyumri… in Spritak… in Vanadzor… in the Earthquake zone.
I’ve come to regard the Quake as some sort of a turning point, dividing my life to pre- and post-earthquake lives. 20 years have passed since. I lived a whole different life in a different Gyumri – coming to view the Quake as a fact of life, as a part of my reality, a part of myself.
Today they’re spending 200 million Armenian drams ‘Marking the 20th anniversary’ of the tragedy. 200 million drams – to create great photo-opportunities for themselves and look as though they give a damn, and give medals to each other and to corrupt former-Soviet officials, who promised to rebuild the earthquake zone and never did it. Celebrating the 20th anniversary, as if there’s something to celebrate.
Watching all the fuss, all I want to do is shout: “Why don’t you all just shut up and let us quietly REMEMBER and think about our broken lives?!”

Artur Papyan

Journalist, blogger, digital security and media consultant

6 Comments

  1. […] blogger, Ditord, simply voices his anger at official events to mark the anniversary and those officials who promised to rebuild the […]

  2. Anush has posted some photographs from Gyumri to mark today’s anniversary.
    http://strikedotdot.wordpress.com/2008/12/07/the-fountain-district-gyumri/

  3. Onnik – thanx for the link to Anush’s blog, I didn’t know she has a wordpress blog.

  4. Maybe, just maybe, if the oligarchs could pay their share of taxes, those affected by the earthquake could get back their lives, but as we know, people like Dodi Gago don’t make much money, right?
    How many little houses and apartments would this have paid for?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UrE6e8J_Rw

  5. […] This story has been added to Khosq.com – the new Armenian sharing and citizen media site. Help promote this story to the front page of Khosq by voting it up. […]

  6. Օղորմի մեր անցավորներին…

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