108th Anniversary Armenian Genocide Commemoration in Vancouver

On Sunday April 23^rd, 2023, 200 members of the Vancouver Armenian community came to the Armenian Genocide Monument and Celebration Hall at Mountain View for the commemoration of the 108^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The commemoration commenced with opening prayers at the Genocide Monument by Very Rev. Father Karekin Shekherdemain of St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church and Archpriest Rev. Keghart Garabedian of St. Vartan Armenian Apostolic Church.

ARF Central Committee member Ungerouhie Titar Kochkrian welcomed the notable political guests Kevin Falcon and Adrian Dix.

.This year the United Armenian Committee of BC invited as keynote speaker professor Elyse Semerjian of Whitman College, who presented an interesting topic related to Armenian Women’s experiences during the Genocide.  The topic is covered in detail in her upcoming book called Remnants: Embodied Archives of the Armenian Genocide.

During the proceedings, MC Anita Desjardins read a proclamation from the province of BC, and statements from the Prime Minster of Canada, and the leaders of the Conservative party of Canada and the NDP.

Varto Papasian gave a brief summary about the current situation in Artsakh and the existential threat against the indigenous Armenians by Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Notable guests present were Leader of the official opposition BC United Party, MLA Kevin Falcon, and long time friend of the Armenian community, Health Minister and MLA Adrian Dix.

Each in turn spoke eloquently about the need to commemorate and to stand with the Armenian community against denial and against further violence.

Soprano Alina Raskin graced the audience with lovely renditions of Karoon A (Gomidas) and Im Mayrus.

And Genocide Studies educator Annie Korajian read the powerful Barouyr Sevag poem “We are Few, but we are called Armenians”

In the hall outside the ceremony, Armenian Youth Federation members created replicas of Dzidzernagapert and a map model of the deportation routes of 1915, as well as a timeline and description of major events starting from the Hamidian massacres of 1894, through to the current status of genocide recognition around the world.