Cultural Revival along the border in Armenia

“The day in our village begins with the shooting from the border, and there are not so many things that can delight us. The revival of the cultural life in our village played the important role and changed our gloomy life,” says 14 year old Mariam from the village of Aygehovit.

The remote village of Aygehovit, Tavush Marz located on Armenia’s northeastern border experiences daily shooting from Azerbaijan, and unexploded mines are found regularly in the village. Cultural life in the village was destroyed as well. The village is located 150 kilometers away from the capital. Here, there is no opportunity for attending concerts and other cultural events which are available for the people living in the big towns or cities. The cultural center in the village was in a terrible condition, damaged by the shelling from the enemies and deprived of musical instruments and equipment.

But everything changed since 2012 when the Jinishian Memorial Foundation, in cooperation with Counterpart International, gave a helping hand to the community members in Aygehovit to promote community development in this remote border village. The musical classrooms in the cultural center were renovated, new musical instruments and equipment were provided, new benches were placed in the community park space, and lighting and general improvements were completed.

Cultural life in the village improved immediately. During different holidays and events, the village brings the inhabitants together and presents performances by the children attending the cultural center of the village. Children sing folk music, dance, and play on national instruments. While children are presenting the performances, older adults are comfortably sitting at the benches placed in the park through the project. The lively mood allows the people to forget for a while about the monotonous and risky environment of life in a border village.