Andre Simonian: My Genetic Memory Brought Me to Armenia

• 02.17.2015, 15:53
•  Armenia,  Diaspora,  Interview

“Armedia” Information, Analytical Agency introduces an interview with the founder of the band the Beautified Project, Andre Simonian. The band was formed in London, 2006.

-Mr. Simonian, your band – the Beautified Project is very popular among Armenians and not only. But very few know that you are a descendant of the Armenian Genocide survivors. Will you please share your story?

- My grandfather is a Genocide survivor. He comes from a family of seven children. They had a store where they sold food and that was their family business. In their store they even had tables where mostly Russian soldiers would come to buy food and eat. The same Russian soldiers protected them from the Ottoman army. He always told me the story how they walks from Alashkert to Yerevan, how he, seven years old walked and his two brothers, who were three and one-year-old were on a donkey. After the long walk they ended up at a churchyard in Yerevan. They were sleeping in that churchyard as they had nowhere else to stay. He had a very difficult life. He told me he sold water in the streets of Yerevan to make a living for the big family. Then he moved to Iran and got married there in his early 20s. He started selling cigarettes in the streets of Iran. Then he went from tomato business to a bicycle store and from a bicycle store he managed to get to cinema business. He was a very good businessman. He ended up having three big cinemas and a hotel in Tabriz. After the Islamic revolution he lost most of his businesses. He decided to move back to Armenia when he was 97 years old. For him he was never in Iran permanently. He always wanted to come back and he knew that one day he was going to come back. When he lost his businesses he picked up the positive from the negative experience and the most important lesson that I have learned from him is exactly that: to pick up the positive from negative. He lived here till he died at the age of 103. He always told me that those years in Armenia were the best years of his life.

-              How have these stories impacted on the formation of your worldview and on your activities?

-              I was born and raised in Iran. I came to Armenia for the first time in 1996. I was more focused on going to Europe and studying there, but my grandfather had planted the seeds of patriotism in my mind since I was five-six years old. Thus after my short stay in Armenia in 1996, I moved to London to study media and music and master my English literature. During my 11 years in London, something always pulled me back every single year. Between 1996-2006 I have been in Armenia 10 times, that is once a year. Every year when there would be a holiday season, most of my friends in London would go to holiday resorts, places like Cyprus, places where all Brits go. I would always come to Yerevan, to see my grandfather and to discover Armenia more. I visited the churches and monasteries of Armenia. I kind of discovered myself here. I decided, just like my grandfather, I am going to come and live here. So when I finished my studies in London and I worked for a few years, I really started noticing that something was missing in my life. I think that was the genetic memory that was pulling me back to Armenia.

-              Mr. Simonian, what is your formula for the reconciliation of the Armenian-Turkish societies? Is it possible?

-              Even if the Turkish government does not agree with the Armenian Genocide it does not mean that the Turkish government was chosen by the 100% of the Turkish society. A lot of Turkish people that I have spoken to, do not even know about the Armenian Genocide. Whatever goes on in the political or governmental level, the people-to-people relationships away from politics, is very important. I would love Armenia to have a friendly relationship with Turkey. I, as an artist would love to be involved in art projects with Turkish artists and I would like to see the Turkish border open. I repeat, the important thing is nation-to-nation understanding away from the politics.

-              As far as I am informed your brand is organizing different concerts dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. What plans do you have?

-              We have always played concerts in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide. It is a fact that people were killed – many people were killed during the Armenian Genocide and we pay tribute to those people who perished during the Genocide. We are not trying to make statements with our concerts. To take the idea of Armenian Genocide and use it as a marketing tool is terrible. Even the tour that we are organizing for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide is going to have a title that criminalizes all the genocides around the world. We are talking about a Genocide that happened 100 years ago. There are genocides happening right now against different nations and origins. So the most important thing is the unity of the nations in standing against the genocides and making sure they never happen again.