While traveling through Anatolia, a travel blogger who goes by Avara, stumbles upon the surviving legacy of the Armenian civilization. His curiosity quickly became fascination, as it led him to return and explore the ruins of Western Armenia a number of times since. Over the past few years, he has been documenting and sharing with the world through social media the remnants of our physical heritage, and the people he met along the way. In Part 3 of our Western Armenia Series, we interview Avara, to learn about his experience, and to hear about our lost homeland through the lens of an “Odar” (Non-Armenian).

One of the first things one will notice when visiting the Republic of Armenia, are the abundant amount of stray dogs. For Armenian-Americans, who come from a society where pets are basically worshiped, it is odd to experience a cultural attitude towards dogs that does not obsess over “man’s best friend”. Taking care of the stray dog population has been a challenge for a developing country like Armenia. Having an overwhelming stray population is not just an issue for the dogs themselves however, but is also a public health issue. Nairi Krafian, a specialist in animal science and biopsychology, founded an organization called Oknooshoon in 2017, which is the first initiative in the country to introduce therapy dogs to the Republic. The goal of which is to help shape a new understanding of what dogs have to offer the people, by training stray dogs for Canine Assisted Intervention (CAI) to assist vulnerable populations. Listen to our latest episode, where we discuss with Nairi all about the dogs of Armenia, and Oknooshoon’s challenges and hopes in redefining the perception and value of dogs in Armenian culture and society.

Science was supposed to be Armenia’s strength, its competitive advantage; a reputation that was inherited from its days in the Soviet Union. Today, we often hear Armenia regarded as the “Silicon Valley of the Caucasus”, as IT begins to develop rapidly in this small post-soviet state. However, while discussing with Tigran Shahverdyan, a scientist who specializes in autonomous systems, space exploration and robotics, about the current state of science and tech and all its dimensions, we gain a much needed perspective and update on the reality of these industries in Armenia. Learn about what Armenians need to do as a country and diaspora in today’s episode in regards to science and technology, and how they can contribute to a successful and sovereign Armenia.

Faith, power, and the relationship between church and identity. In the second part of our Western Armenia Series, we sit down with Daniel Ohanian, PhD candidate at UCLA. We explore the encounters between Western Armenians and Catholicism at the turn of the 18th century, discussing how and why some Armenians became Catholic and the reactions they received for doing so. Along the way, we meet two notable men: Abbot Mkhitar of Sepastia, who had a profound impact on Western Armenian identity up until today, and Avedik Vartabed of Tokat, who spent five years as a prisoner in France.

Get to know one of the Diaspora's greatest comedy entertainers, Arman Margarian, better known by his stage name, "Antic". His satirical videos and comedy stand-up have played a part in shaping our modern Armenian culture, reminding us of our rich Armenian sense of humor. Antic’s work brought Armenian comedy through new mediums, developing it for a new generation, as he became one of our community's earliest viral sensations. We had a fun time talking with Arman, as we got to learn all about his career as a comedic artist, and his life outside of comedy.

What is it like to return to your homeland, a century after genocide? For the first part of our Western Armenia series, we speak with Ani Hovannisian about her travels through Western Armenia, and about her most recent project. Ani is a director, producer, and filmmaker, who spent 7 years making the film, “The Hidden Map”. The film documents the journey of Ani, a granddaughter of genocide survivors, alongside Scottish explorer Steven Sim, who travel across Western Armenia discovering the hidden past of the Armenians who use to live there. The film will be shown over a thousand times all across the United States on your local PBS stations and affiliates in the month June 2022. Make sure to check out the links shared on our social media, to learn more about how you can see the film.

Chris J Khachadour, Haytoug Talk’s resident historian, returns to us today to focus on the history of another region of Historical Armenia, Nakhichevan. Like Artsakh, Nakhichevan is a region adjacent to the Republic of Armenia today. It’s that exclave south west of the ROA, that as a result of Azerbaijani control, no longer contains any Armenians, with no remnants of our history in sight, as all our heritage has been completely wiped out. And even though as Armenians, we can’t go to Nakhichevan today, see Armenians there, or our history any longer; this place, like all the other pieces of our homeland which we have lost through genocide, still lives in our hearts and minds. This is "The Story of Nakhichevan".

Nare Kupelian, is a practicing attorney in Southern California, who comes from a family that were often labeled as “Aghpar” while they lived in Soviet Armenia. “Aghpar”, which is a play on the Western Armenian pronunciation for brother, “Yeghpayr”, was used as a type of sarcastic slur for many Western Armenians who repatriated to Eastern Armenia in the mid 20th century. Nare’s family, along with thousands of other Armenians who had returned to Soviet Armenia at the invitation of Stalin, were optimistic about starting their new life in the homeland after decades of living in exile. Unfortunately, the expectations did not match the reality, scars of which can be seen until this day, in the Republic of Armenia, and perhaps among our friends in our communities in the diaspora, who may have a story to tell similar to the one you will hear today.

In 2005, Ardashes Kassakhian ran for the open Glendale City Clerk seat with the explicit goal of making elections in Glendale more transparent, accessible and secure. He was the youngest person ever elected to a Glendale municipal post in the city’s history. In 2020 Kassakhian ran for Council becoming the first City Clerk to be elected to Glendale’s City Council. And as of April 2022, it became his turn to take the reins, as the Mayor for the City of Glendale. We spoke with Mr. Kassakhian just before he was appointed Mayor to discuss the challenges of the Armenian community and the importance of activism. From ANCA-WR Director, to Glendale Mayor, Ardashes has been representing and fighting for the Armenian-American community for quite some time, and we were honored to hear his story and to share his experiences and wisdom with all of us.

For many people, food can be that initial exposure to a new culture. As a cultural pillar, cuisine when examined can tell us the story about those who developed it. In other words, the diversity and traditions of Armenian food is another way we can learn about who we are and where we come from. In 2019, Ara Zada along with his team published “Lavash” the cookbook, which set out to share with the world what people in the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh are eating and cooking today. Not just limited to recipes, but a book that included imagery and stories that help complete the essence of Armenian cuisine. We discuss with Ara about his travels, discoveries and impressions of the cuisine he came across, and what “Armenian Food” looks like in the 21st Century.