Sixth Graders from Toronto Call on Armenian Government to Restore Aram Manoukian’s Home, First Government Building

ARS Armenian School Students Also Call for Removal of Pizza Parlor from Armenia’s Historic Government Building

TORONTO (A.W.)—Sixth graders from Toronto’s Armenian Relief Society (ARS) Kololian Elementary School have called on Armenian authorities to rightfully honor the memory of one of the founding fathers of the first Armenian Republic, Aram Manoukian.

In a letter written to Armenia’s Ambassador to Canada, His Excellency Armen Yeganian, the sixth grade students urge the government of Armenia to—among other things—renovate and restore Manoukian’s Yerevan home, which currently lies in ruins; erect a monument dedicated to Manoukian in one of the capital’s squares; and properly preserve Armenia’s first Government Building, which currently houses a pizza parlor.

According to their Armenian language teacher Dr. Khajag Koulajian, the students got the idea to write to the Armenian government when they were learning about the various figures who played key roles in the first Republic.

“I told them about the pitiable condition of Manoukian’s home. They really took it to heart and asked for further explanation. We opened the websites of various Armenian publications and read articles, saw photos,” Koulajian explained in Canada’s Horizon Weekly Armenian newspaper.

Since Armenia’s re-independence in 1991, several people in Armenia and the diaspora have criticized the state of the building, which has drastically declined over the years, as a result of neglect and indifference.

In an Aug. 2015 op-ed, longtime Armenian activist and former Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Chairperson Garo Armenian criticized the Armenian government for its neglect and what he called “deliberate deterioration” of Manoukian’s Yerevan home and the compromising of the architectural integrity of the historic Government Building.

Below is the letter sent to the Armenian Ambassador in its entirety. The letter, which was originally written in Armenian and published in Horizon Weekly, was translated by the Armenian Weekly.

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Your Excellency Mr. Armen Yeganian,

We, the sixth grade students of the ARS Armenian School of Toronto, recently learned from our teacher and a number of articles that Aram Manoukian’s home is in half-ruins. We also learned that the historic building from which Aram Manoukian declared independence is now a pizza parlor.

This is disgraceful, and through this letter, we wish to convey our disappointment so that you may, in turn, share that disappointment with the Armenian authorities.

We must remind you that without Aram Manoukian, Armenia would not exist on the map today. We would not have a republic, a government, or embassies.

Aram Manoukian’s house is a piece of Armenian history and we cannot forget our history. Students our age must learn about our heroes and about their brave actions.

We propose the following:

1. Renovate [Manoukian’s] home as soon as possible and turn it into a museum;
2. Erect a statue [dedicated to Manoukian] in one of Yerevan’s squares;
3. Properly celebrate May 28 [Armenia’s first Independence Day];
4. Rename the street Manoukian lived on “Aram Manoukian Street”;
5. Close down the pizza parlor and preserve the historic Government Building as a symbol [of the first Republic of Armenia].

Respectfully,

[Signed]