You Know, We Are Tired of Being Afraid: Veteran's Wife About Artsakh War (EXCLUSIVE)

• 05.09.2017, 14:14
•  World,  Armenia,  NKR,  Interview

"Armedia" IAA presents an exclusive interview with Artsakh war veteran, musician Oleg Pirumyan’s wife Irina Pirumyan (Oleg Pirumyan died on May 9, 1992 during Shushi liberation).  The interview is conducted in the framework of the project "Stressing the role of women in Armenia and Karabakh in peacebuilding and conflict settlement through media and art", supported by Black Sea regional cooperation and implemented by NGO "Society without violence".

- A lot has been talked about war and will still be talked, but through the eyes of a woman, through your eyes, what is war?

- War is tragedy, disaster… Lots of things can be said about war, which are known to everyone, but maybe there is nothing worse than war. I do not know (silence)… What is war? It is a pain. I will never forget the shout of my daughter. When the opponent was firing from Grades, she was screaming: "I am not afraid, I am not afraid." Of course, she was afraid, but was shouting as if she was not afraid.

There is nothing worse than war. When a woman says she will go to war, these are not just words. Recently we passed through the April war. You know? We are tired of being afraid. In 1992, when planes were flying over our houses, we were going out from the houses and looking into the sky, in these planes. We were not afraid of those Azeris. We are tired of being afraid and when after so many years there is again war, you decide to go yourself. These are not just words. You want to take revenge for husband, for relatives…  

- Which were the main difficulties you faced during the years of war?

- There were no difficulties during the war. Now you will be surprised, how so. We were not thinking what to eat, when to eat. On the first place was waiting. We were waiting when we would see our relatives alive. I am saying this sincerely. One can be hungry during peace and do not feel any hunger under bombardment, when you are waiting for your husband, your brother, relatives. There was such a unity during the war. You were not thinking only of your children…

I want to tell a little bit about me as the wife of a musician. The 1988 Karabakh movement started on February 13. On the second day, on February 15, I was sick and did not join the protest of thousands of people. Instead, I sat down near the window and with Russian letters in Armenian wrote my "Veradardzir" ("Come Back") song. My husband Oleg entered and I asked him to listen to my song, but he said: "Is it the time for song?" However, not to upset me, he turned to the window, looked to the thousands of people in the street and said: "Ok, play." I started playing and singing. I had hardly reached to the chorus, when I turned and saw tears in Oleg’s eyes, but he waved his hand and told me to continue. After hearing the song till the end, he said: "We should immediately record the song. You will sing, as we do not have time to find a singer."

Thus I had to sing. Lots of people thought, the singer was a child, as I have a childish voice (laughs). After a week my song also reached to America. You know, I am proud that I had at least my small contribution to that movement. In Gyumri, under that song our flag was being raised, in front of Matenadaran, Opera thousands of people were listening to this song in silence. While in Karabakh something amazing was taking place. I was living at the central street and those protests were passing under my window. When people were reaching my window, I was turning on the song. And so every day. One day it was already 11 a.m., and I thought that there was no protest on that day. We opened the windows. Thousands of people and a complete silence. That was a historical scene. Do you understand? They were standing silently and waiting for the song.

- What is peace for you? What role do women play in the process of restoring peace?

-  When I say peace, I return to the phrase, "for the sake of children." For me personally it is a real happiness that it is peaceful now. At the same time it is pain, as it is peace now, but my husband is dead, my children do not have father. It is difficult to answer that question. As for the saying that the time heals the wounds, it is a lie. The time does not heal the wounds. Now minute by minute I can say, where I was during the Shushi liberation, when my husband died. I can say what my children and I were doing. I have such a good intuition. Everyone will agree. But I did not feel Oleg’s death, because it could not and should not happen.

- Will you share the story of your family? How did you meet your husband?

- Wow, it is so interesting (is smiling). We were living in the same yard, but we did not know each other. We met each other in the musical school, where both of us worked. There we met, married, then our children were born – Arevik and Sofi. The children had great musical potential, but the war hindered. Now I have 5 grandchildren. It is a real happiness to have little Oleg. He is another planet for me. It is so pity that Oleg is not with us…

- According to you, what role does culture have in the process of the reconciliation of the societies?  

- Culture, music has always played great role. Music has always helped. It is not by chance that when at war people sang songs. I have lots of patriotic songs. I am very happy that my songs are being sang at schools, kindergartens, at army. I also have songs for children.