1ALoves is back!
It’s back! Our monthly newsletter of curated content from around the Armenian world took a bit of a hiatus, but we’re very excited to be sharing with you again. This time, we got excellent new avant-garde Armenian music to study or work to, a trip to rural Armenia amid the coronavirus pandemic, and an Armenian yogurt spice cake recipe with unknown origins.
What we’re listening to
Katil — “Arrival”
2021 | Folk / Avante-garde jazz / Ambient | 14:59
Katil (meaning “drop” in Armenian, like rain drop) has been on our radar for a couple years now as one of Armenia’s best folk bands giving a modern twist to traditional music. Their smash hit “Kuzim” has made it onto 1ALoves in the past, and we’re excited to share with you this original new release from the group. Performed live at Shinuhayr airport in Armenia’s Syunik Province, “Arrival” is accompanied by a visual art installation, and begins with a monologue by the band’s lead vocalist Sevada Hambarchyan about longing for a loved one. Plug in your headphones and take an ambient journey with Katil.
What we’re reading
The New Armenian Patriotism
Eric Hacopian | CivilNet | 26 January 2021
Political consultant and one of our very own board members Eric Hacopian outlines a new roadmap for Armenian patriotism following the second Artsakh war in this op-ed. That patriotism, according to Hacopian, should be defined by the following 5 goals:
- Building a modern economy that raises the living standards of Armenians living in Armenia
- Building a functional democratic and competent state structure
- building the finest small army in the world
- Investing heavily in science and education
- Using our culture and collective narrative to bind all of the above mentioned modernizations into a coherent and uniquely Armenian story that bridges our past and brighter future.
Read his complete op-ed, and let us know what you think about Armenia’s future and our collective involvement in building that future.
What we’re watching
Saghsara — Episode 5, Lori/Shirak
Web Series | 1 Sep 2020 | 41:32
Remember Saghsara, the multimedia project collecting the folk songs of rural Armenia and reinterpreting them with contemporary instruments and sounds? In the last episode released before the war, the team behind this fantastic web series explores the villages of Vardablur, Shirakamut, Vardakar and Lernakert in the Lori and Shirak Provinces. They reflect on their experience working amid the coronavirus pandemic, and what each of them found during that time, both in rural Armenia and in each other.
What we’re reading (and eating)
Cooking as Resistance: Liana Aghajanian on Food & Armenian Survival
Matt Dagher-Margosian | Asia Art Tours | 24 January 2021
In this interview with journalist and writer Liana Aghajanian, Asia Art Tours co-founder Matt Dagher-Margosian explores what food means to a global people like Armenians who continue to face erasure to this day. Aghajanian also shares a delicious Armenian yogurt spice cake recipe, which appeared in a 1983 issue of the Palm Beach Post. The origins of this recipe remain unknown. Keep reading for the full story!
We hope you enjoyed this installment of 1ALoves. To get curated Armenian content from around the world straight to your inbox every month, sign up for our newsletter.
