The Armenian Student Association (ASA) at Cal State Long Beach showed the documentary “Screamers” Thursday, about the Armenian genocide, when 1.5 million people were killed at the hands of the Ottoman Turks.
Today marks its 97th anniversary.
However, many countries do not recognize it as genocide.
“It’s a horrible feeling to know that the Armenian Genocide isn’t recognized,” said Patio Gharibian, a junior fashion merchandising major.
The documentary also featured the Armenian-American band System of a Down and their attempt at joining Armenians in fighting for its recognition.
Lead singer Serj Tankian’s grandfather was a genocide survivor.
ASA showed the documentary so that younger people could connect with the band, and it would be effective in bringing awareness of the genocide to the CSULB community.
“Not only did it involve an internationally known music group but it also addressed the various issues going around the world which somehow can stem from the non-recognition of the Armenian Genocide,” said Vahan Mezian, president of the ASA at CSULB.
Although several countries have recognized the Armenian genocide throughout the world, other countries, like the United States and Israel, do not use the word “genocide” in order to avoid political problems with Turkey, which denies that the mass killings constitute genocide.
Gharibian said her family knows firsthand how real the Armenian genocide was.
“My great grandparents were affected by the genocide,” Gharibian said. “They escaped to Baghdad from the death marches.”
Death marches were events in which Armenians were rounded up out of their homes, and forced to march miles into the deserts of the Middle East in hopes that they would die along the way.
Other forms of massacres carried out by the Ottoman Empire included mass burning, drowning and slaughtering.
Mezian said recognition of the Armenian genocide is important so that those affected by the issue can finally move forward.
“It will allow for the further development of Armenia as a nation and culture,” Mezian said.
The documentary argued that, if the world learned what happened to the Armenians, the Holocaust or Rwandan Genocide could have possibly been prevented.
Several students, however, said they either showed up because they were fans of System of a Down, or to get extra credit point for class.
The film featured several of the band’s songs, which they specifically wrote in order to educate people on the genocide.
Sophomore sociology student Madelin Melara said she only attended the screening to earn some extra points offered in one of her sociology classes.
“I didn’t know anything about the genocide,” Melara said.
After the film concluded, however, Melara, like many other students who knew nothing of the genocide, said she was happy to become educated on the issue.
ASA plans to be active through social media in spreading word of the genocide to create more awareness.
“We will be asking various students on campus to help post topics concerning the genocide on Twitter or Facebook that day by submitting ‘#1915NEVERAGAIN’ on their social media pages,” Mezian said.
Next year, ASA leaders said they hope to be organized enough to spread recognition of the Armenian Genocide on campus at a bigger scale.