MIchigan high beat - On the Road Again

BY Betty Apigian Kessel

"The Armenian Weekly", Volume 74, No. 32, August 16, 2007

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.