June 21, 2011

They leave behind their lives to crawl toward the future

Where have I come from? Where shall I go? Where is the place you await me to come to? Or isn't there anybody waiting for me?

People around the world leave their motherland, leave the places where they grew up and used to live. They leave it for professional or personal reasons in some cases but the main factors can be war, hate, discrimination, nazism, intolerance, frustration, stress, ignorance, aggression. The main thought which remains in your mind is to run away, to disappear and to save your soul... or to stay and to struggle and even to die.
World, you cut and paste, you drag and drop refugees all around you!
Anahit Hayrapetyan
One may become a refugee, because he can’t live on the land which was occupied after a war or a genocide.
The other one flees, because political views and activism can cause a danger.
And you are a refugee now, because your characteristic features are not acceptable for the compatriots.

Hundreds of thousands of Armenian refugees crossed the border and never came back, they went to find their freedom under the shadows of western democracy that Armenia could never insure. Among them were those whose feelings and emotions were not accepted by the majority, their sexual orientation and gender identity were not considered as traditional, their life became endangered in their own homeland, and peace was somewhere far away. Those people are gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer; those people are considered as strangers on their own land.
The refugees that flee, they leave behind their lives to crawl toward the future.
Anahit Hayrapetyan
photo by Karen Mirzoyan, 2008
(photo is cropped)
When you left me alone to find your freedom, you took my heart with you, you put it in your baggage next to your scarfs and shirts, you left and never came back to see me, you cried but never showed your tears, you just gave me the last kiss to live with and I feel it on my lips even today. Then we realized that happiness was not here and not there, it was with us when we were together. You are a refugee in a foreign society but I feel as a refugee even in my own land, because they always say: “This is not your country”. Neither here nor there, where do I belong and where do you belong?

Iranians escape to Armenia, Armenians escape to Russia, Russians escape to Europe and it goes on and on.

But we are here we are queer and this is our world, too!


Director: George Barbakadze
Writers: George Barbakadze, Fleurtasha Cooper

2 comments:

Սևակ said...

We Armenians know very well the price of being a refugee... the vast Armenian Diaspora is a result of wars, pogroms and genocides... we're a nation that mostly consists of refugees spread all around the Globe as a result of oppressions, intolerance, irrational phobias and fears...

Since early Middle Ages, we were expressing our devotion, affection and emotions toward our motherland from which we were cast out quite often in our lifetime...

Կռունկ, ո՞ւստի կու գաս, ծառա եմ ձայնիդ,
Կռունկ, մեր աշխարհեն խապրիկ մը չունի՞ս.
Մի՛ վազեր, երամիդ շուտով կը հասնիս.
Կռունկ, մեր աշխարհէն խապրիկ մը չունի՞ս։

Թողել եմ ու եկել մլքերս ու այգիս,
Քանի որ ա՜խ կ՚անեմ, կու քաղուի հոգիս
Կռունկ, պահ մի կեցի՛ր, ձայնիկդ Ի հոգիս.
Կռունկ, մեր աշխարհէն խապրիկ մը չունի՞ս։

Քեզ բան հարցանողին չես տանիր տալապ,
Ձայնիկդ անուշ կու գայ քան զջրի տոլապ,
Կռունկ, Պաղտատ իջնուս կամ թէ ի հալապ,
Կռունկ, մեր աշխարհէն խապրիկ մը չունի՞ս:

Սրտերնիս կամեցաւ ելանք, գնացինք,
Այս սուտ աստնւորիս բաներն իմացանք,
Աղուհացկեր մարդկանց կարօտ մնացինք,
Կռունկ, մեր աշխարհէն խապրիկ մը չունի՞ս։

Աշունն է մօտեցեր, գնալու ես թետպիր,
Երամ ես ժողուեր հազարներ ու բիւր,
Ինձ պատասխան չտուիր, ելար, գնացիր,
Կռունկ, մեր աշխարհէն գնա՛, հեռացի՛ր։

Unknown said...

"People tease disability, gossip on homosexuality, scream about justice but dream of eternity" - Anahit Hayrapetyan