Larisa Ryan: Serj Tankian Decided to Use ''Ari Im Sokhag'' Lullaby as the Main Soundtrack of ''1915'' Movie (EXCLUSIVE)

• 04.24.2016, 18:52
•  Armenia,  Interview

"Armedia" IAA presents an exclusive interview with the CEO & Founder of Teach for Armenia, Larisa Ryan, who recently, together with famous Serj Tankian released the main soundtrack of "1915" movie "Ari Im Sokhag."

-          Ms. Ryan, it is only several days that your video "Ari Im Sokhag" with Serj Tankian has been released, but it has already become very popular. How did the idea of singing this song together come and what is its message?

-          The idea came very unexpectedly actually. Garin Hovhannisyan was just preparing to shoot his movie and what he needed was a lullaby.We thought about a couple of different lullabies and just recorded one of them to have as an example. Then throughout the work around the film, Serj Tankian, who is the composer of the soundtrack of  "1915" movie, decided to use this recording as the main soundtrack of "1915" movie and later on we re-recorded the song in Serj Tankian’s recording studio. So this was Serj’s idea, his vision, Garin’s vision. It was just a magical moment for me also, because it was just a great opportunity and it came quite unexpectedly, but I am very happy it happened and I feel to be privileged to be part of it.

It is so hard to explain in words what 1915 was and still is for Armenians. To me this lullaby resembles mostly the pain of women, who during the Genocide have been separated from their children, who lost their children. This lullaby for me resembles this tragic, difficult, painful, very Armenian feeling that I believe encompasses the very difficult message around 1915. It is a lullaby that Armenians have song to their children for thousands of years.

-          What can you say about the reconciliation of the two societies – Turks and Armenians? What suggestions do you have in this regard?

-          Through my work and through just my life’s experience I have been able to travel the world and also to Turkey. To me there are people, who are Turkish, who live in Turkey and feel the pain of the Armenian people and who are ready to move forward and to recognize, to go through this pain together.

 I like to call this as a strictly political issue. The government of Turkey is not just "healthy", open to talking about this. I do think that on the human level, government and politics aside, there are people on both sides, who are ready to meet and to truly reconcile and truly think what that would mean to both sides. I think that it is just important to understand that it is liberating to recognize your mistake and your tragic history. I hope that the Turkish government will allow themselves and their people be liberated, which will be liberating to Armenians also.