Fresno to host three lectures on Armenian Genocide in films

February 11, 2015 - 14:10 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Fresno State will host three free lectures over the next two months discussing the portrayal of the Armenian Genocide in films, Fresno Bee reports.

Myrna Douzjian, the Henry K. Khanzadian Kazan visiting professor of Armenian studies, will present the talks, which coincide with the 100th year anniversary of the start of the Armenian Genocide.

The first lecture will take place on Wednesday, Feb 11. It will discuss an allegory for the genocide featured in the animated film “Chienned Histoire.”

The second lecture will take place on March 19, and the third will be on April 8.

Meanwhile, Fresno Bee says, a steel rebar form took shape at Fresno State Tuesday for a memorial that will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Genocide.

Concrete is to be poured starting Wednesday for the memorial. It will be completed in time to mark the genocide centennial on April 24.

Fresno Bee. Armenian genocide monument under construction at Fresno State

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.