Tuesday, December 03, 2002

Last night I went to Rosa Myrig and Hurant�s house for my monthly visit and dinner.

On my way there I ran into a neighbor of mine who was also on her way to see Rosa Myrig and informed me that Rosa Myrig is having some very bad spells of high blood pressure.

We arrived to Rosa Myrig�s house to find her laying down on the couch.

I asked Rosa Myrig what had happened and she told me that the night before her blood pressure was up to 200/80 and it felt like her whole right side was made of wood as she could not move that side of her at all.

The neighbor who arrived with me came to take Rosa Myrig�s blood pressure and the reading was 140/80. An improvement, but still not good.

I asked Rosa Myrig what brought on all this and she told me that on the 21st, she was unexpectedly visited by a film crew who are making a film about the Artsakh movement and war and they interviewed her. She said the interview was very upsetting and since then her blood pressure has been up.

She said that since that interview she knew she needed to see a doctor, but feared that they would find something seriously wrong with her and would keep her in the hospital for observation, something she does not want.

I insisted that she sees the doctor today and didn�t tell her but think that maybe her 200/80 the night before and the symptoms she experienced could have been a light stroke. I hope I�m wrong.

So what was this interview all about?

Well on the 21st, another of our aid recipients Era was also visited unexpectedly and while they were interviewing Era, one of her neighbors found me coming out of the Karabagh Telecom office after paying my cell phone bill and told me about the film crew at Era�s house and it would be a good idea if I go there to see what they are doing.

When I arrived to Era�s house they were filming and asking some very upsetting questions.

With them was also an assistant to the regional mister who was taking the film crew around and a journalist from the Artsakh government television Norig, who was also asking questions.

Era was very upset and having problems controlling her emotions. The director was not backing off with the questions and it seemed that he was intentionally trying to get her to cry for the camera.

Era apologized to the director for not being able to control her emotions and he said there was no need, it was good, people need to see that she suffers.

She pointed out to him that many of the things she was telling him were upsetting because she had forgotten them and only now were they coming out again.

She like Rosa Myrig mentioned, if she knew they were coming, she would have had some time to prepare herself so she could better deal with the interview. He said no, he wanted raw emotions like she was giving.

She told many stories that I had never heard. She mentioned Monte Melkonian and his significance in the movement. She also talked about Saribek Mardirosyan, the man who also was very active and died in the same skirmish as Monte did.

Era was asked by the director if she was proud of what her husband had done and she said no, I am mad at him as look at our condition today. The director said you don�t mean that and she said yes I do. I would feel it was worth him and my 2 sons who gave their lives to this movement if things were right, but look at the people who ended up in power and look how they take care of us? They have been making promises to fix my house for many years (looking to the assistant to the regional minister), but look at my house, I can�t even go upstairs as we have plastic where there is suppose to be glass. She went on with a whole list of problems that they recorded, but I�m sure will end up on the cutting-room floor.

The director asked Era if I was her son and she said no, he is not my biological son, but he is like a son to me. She went on to tell him that if it was not for me, she would probably not be home right now and would instead be roaming the streets collecting firewood. She told them that I was the one that keeps her house in tact as appose to the government and they should be interviewing me to see what I can tell them about what life is like for them. The director agreed and before I was to be interviewed, he had me stand in the background picking persimmons off of Era�s tree while she was being interviewed.

So after I finished picking persimmons and a few close-up shots, I noticed the director and his friendliness with me got a bit cold. It was as if he had talked to someone while they were filming me and was told that I should not be interviewed (I suspect the regional minister�s assistant who does not care too much for me or my opinions (I wonder why?)). So I didn�t get interviewed and there was no explanation why (no big deal, everything I would have said would not have even made it to the cutting-room to be cut).

Era insisted that they have tea before leaving and I got an opportunity to find out more about what they were doing.

It seems that the minister of defense is making some film about the Artsakh movement and it will be shown in 60+ countries. I guess they are trying to show to the Diaspora that Karabagh Armenians are a proud people and after the war, we are taking care of ourselves.

I asked the director if they had already interviewed Saribek Mardirosyan�s widow? He asked who that was and I pointed out that Era had told them about him and he being one of the very first people who practically started the movement. He said is his widow educated and can she talk well? I told him that she use to be a judge (before someone paid a bribe to someone on the President�s staff so they could replace her) and is very intelligent. He said that he must interview her. I told him that I would call her and he said that he was going to a village and would be coming back in 2 days and to have her waiting. Our guest finished their tea and left.

I visited Saribek�s widow Lilia later that night and told her the news of the film people wanting to interview her.

She told me that she had talked to Era and said that the director basically told what she could and could not say. She said that I have nothing nice to say and they wont let me say what I would want to say.

I told her that she should speak her mind and I would make it a point to be there during the interview. Who knows, maybe I could be the guy in the background stacking firewood during the interview like Hurant was during Rosa Myrig�s interview?

Lilia agreed but said that if the regional minister has some influence on who they will be interviewing, then they will not come. If he wanted them to interview her, they would have seen her without my telling them about her.

Well 2 days later I waited all day at home for Lilia to call me to let me know they arrived and there was no call. They didn�t show up like they said they would.

So what do we need to do about this situation? I guess first we need to make sure that Rosa Myrig gets her blood pressure under control. Then I think a letter from me to the minister of defense is defiantly in order.

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