SUSPENDED RELIEF: SHUSHI BENEVOLENT FUND PUTS ITS PROJECTS ON HOLD

Only three years ago, in an interview with ArmeniaNow, Head of the ‘Shushi’ Benevolent Fund Bakur Karapetyan said that only the glorious past of Shushi is enough to make it Armenians’ cultural center. Now, however, the head of the Fund announces that he suspends all projects. “Investors are no longer interested in Shushi. I cannot say whether it is connected with the financial crisis or not, but one thing is definite – currently there is also a moral-psychological decline among us,” says Karapetyan. The “Shushi” Benevolent Fund was founded in 2000 with the objective to support the one-time cultural rise of the fortress town of Shushi. The fund has the role of a coordinator for Armenian and foreign investors. During several years of the Fund’s activity, the investments, attracted by it, served the reconstruction and preservation of Shushi’s historical-architectural appearance (as it was in the beginning of last century) making the town a pan-Armenian cultural center. Within several years the Benevolent Fund registered 520 monuments and put their locations on the map of Shushi Town, conducted architectural measurements of 220 18-19th century buildings, it carried out archeological excavations, studied many archived materials about Shushi, organized exhibitions and launched websites (the fund has spent the total of about $50,000). “Shushi had to change the fame and aura of a fortress town being a theatre of wars. However, our projects are currently seriously threatened, and we simply have to freeze them,” says Karapetyan. Foreseeing the difficulty, the head of the Fund turned to more than 400 organizations, different departments, as well as the President of our country and the Prime Minister, asking to support them in the implementation of the projects. Getting no respond, on April 18 Karapetyan sent letters to several businessmen – Ara Abrahamyan, Gagik Tsarukyan, Mikael Baghdasaryan, Barsegh Beglaryan, Hrant Vardanyan, and Samvel Alexanyan. “It is necessary to direct a part of your incomes towards the culture and literature for the benefit of your country, otherwise Armenia would be buried into moral-spiritual crisis, which may threaten the security of the country,” the appeal-letter reads. Karapetyan says that he already does not even wait for the reply to the letter, since the addressees are not interested in the problem anymore. “The national incomes are amassed in the hands of a group of people, and the disproportionate distribution causes serious problems for the development of the country. Moreover, that problem is connected with moral decline, and the reason for that is people’s detachment from culture,” says Karapetyan, “There is no need to blame the crisis for it, the problem is in us, in our way of thinking. I believe that it may lead to serious disasters.” In 2008 the Fund published the first and second volumes of the 30-volume publication called ‘Collected Records of Artsakh Survival Struggle’. Fifteen volumes are entered into computer and they are ready for publication. A collection of 7,000 old photos has been created, as well as a website www.avetis.org. It was also planned to found Photography National Museum either in Shushi or in another town of Armenia. The Fund has held different exhibitions. The photo exhibitions called ‘Western Armenia before 1915 in Photos’ (in the National Museum-Institute of Architecture), and ‘111 Instances from the Life of Shushi Town-Fortress (in Yerevan, Moscow and Stepanakert) were held in April-May. The organization has several websites– ‘Shushi’ popular scientific online periodical with 2,500 photos, a forum and an electronic museum with the history of the Karabakh confrontation, calleed ‘Photo Chronicle of the 20-th Century’s Local Conflicts.’ “One of our objectives was to have a ‘material’ museum on the topic of Karabakh confrontation especially in Shushi. In this case Nagorno-Karabakh and Shushi would have the role of a peace preacher, which is very important; moreover later we could have transferred it into an important scientific center, which would study interracial and local conflicts,” says the head of the organization. The Fund is preparing to publish a book called ‘Frontier Reportages: 1988-1994.’ The has organization also financed the creation of ‘Shushi’ popular scientific periodical (www.journal.shoushi.am). They have also organized a petition for recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh’s right to be a conflicting and negotiation side posted in the www.avetis.am website. More than 3000 people from 43 countries of the world have already participated in it. Bakur Karapetyan says that the means of the Fund are gathered both from the Diaspora and Armenia thanks to different fund-raising events. “Our main expenses were not that big: we always tried to carry out great deeds with little funds. Now we even cannot afford paying the rent for our office,” he says, “We do need people’s support in this case. Our books are not bought, something is wrong. There is no interest in Arstakh and our history. I believe that it is the result of a moral decline, and it is a pity. If the nation loses touch with its culture, it is the most dangerous thing that might happen.”
Gayane Mkrtchyan

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