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On the Road Again
Departure is early morning. Sleepily I settle down into the
passenger seat and begin to enjoy the three-hour trip to
Cambridge, Ontario, heading for Shades Mills Park and the
Kessabtzi picnic. We are no strangers to the Cambridge
Armenian Community Center and its friendly people. And here,
in what is called the “International Village” area, a mosque
is quite nearby just like at the Armenian Community Center
in Dearborn. A gentleman volunteers to lead us to the park,
which is only minutes away.
The parking lot is filling up. I am not surprised by the
vehicles bearing logos of flooring stores, mattress outlets,
realtors, auto parts, and jewelers. Armenians are
independent thinkers and prefer to be self-employed.
We quickly dined on kebabs, hummus, salads, and heriseh, a
treat we hadn’t had for many years. Yes, those were French
fries in the hands of passersby piled on plates. Seems the
Armenian youth, of which plenty were in attendance, had a
penchant for them.
The picnic crowd grew to over 200 and they looked at Bob and
I with curiosity. They didn’t know us but we knew who some
of them were. I soon crane my neck to locate my three
cousins. Our being here is a surprise for them. Then I see a
good friend, Rev. Dr. Vahan Tootikian of the Armenian
Congregational Church of Southfield, Mich., being warmly
greeted by his Kessabatzi compatriots. As longtime friends,
we were surprised to see each other here. The kindest of
men. He gave a blessing to the picnickers and congratulated
them on maintaining their traditions.
Our friend Garbis Haneshian was tending to the book sales
table where you can buy t-shirts and hats emblazoned with
“Kessab” in Armenian script. He introduced me to Joseph
Injejikian who filled me on the Cambridge community. They
wisely invited members of Parliament to every event like the
April 24 commemoration and cultural happenings. He says,
“When election time arrives, we invite the politicians to
address our people at our center.” I was then told that “It
started here.” It was a Cambridge Parliament member, who
because of his relationship with the local Armenian
community, led the battle to get the Canadian Parliament to
recognize the Armenian Genocide. Congratulations Cambridge
for your exceptional effort.
Also, when Cambridge Armenians ask for a renovation grant
from the government, they get it. They also do not pay tax.
Their rep to the government made the Armenian community look
like the country’s number one citizens, excluding them from
paying tax—the only ethnic group.
Cambridge Hyes have other hobbies. A group of them go “way
up north” into the wild, traveling part of the way on all
terrain vehicles to hunt. They claim the moose they bagged
is good eating and Joseph brought down a 550 pound black
bear. Imagine Armenian big game hunters!
I spoke briefly with Dr. Razmik Panossian accompanied by his
father Stepan, a fedayee hero in his own right. Razmik
earned his Ph.D. in London, England, and lived abroad after
his education for 10 years. Born in Beirut and now residing
in Montreal, he attended the Jemaran before coming to
Cambridge with his family at age 12. He travels extensively
to China and Afghanistan in his work as director of Policy
Programs and Planning for the International Centre for Human
Rights and Democratic Development, an “arms length” agency
of the Canadian government. When I asked about Darfur, he
replied that entry there was not allowed. His is the
important work of improving the lives of our fellow world
citizens, and as Armenians, we know what deprivation of
rights were for centuries living in the Ottoman Empire.
He says work in the field of human rights is slow and can be
depressing but an occasional glimmer of accomplishment
comes—such as the time a seminar was held in Afghanistan to
which women were invited. Afterwards the females said to
Razmik that it was the first time they had been included in
such an event, giving him high hope. It is a situation where
tribal chiefs control the lives of people thoroughly and
women in particular have been victimized.
Razmik has written a brilliant book entitled “The Armenians:
From Kings and Priests to Merchants and Commissars,”
published by the Columbia University Press, New York. It is
a remarkably well-researched book on Armenian sociological
history and the development of the Armenian nation. Reward
yourself with this book and avail yourself of an amazing
book by a brilliant fellow Hye.
I would also suggest a trip to the Cambridge Armenian
Community Center where you will be surrounded by a special
group of people who are successfully maintaining their
Hyegagan identity with pride as valued members of the
Canadian community.
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