Canada

Visitors to the Czech Republic today can hardly feel the traces of 40 years of communist rule, but while the trauma still lingers on, gone are all things Russian and the United States is what people look towards to fill the vacuum. The Prague government has had a difficult time convincing the public that membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is crucial for Czech security. At the same time, support for eventual European Union membership is also waning.

The collective memory of the Armenian community of the Czech Republic is a little over a decade old, and often the only thing people have in common is the memory of their early years in a refugee camp and the loneliness of what amounts to an existence in self-imposed exile away from their country, Armenia. First in hundreds and then thousands, Armenians have found their way to Prague and other Czech cities since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the independence of Armenia, and the devastating effects of a collapsing economy at home.

Armenians are at the epicenter of the Big Bang of Canadian culture that has taken place over the past few decades. In film, theater and music, they are leaders adding their voices to a national culture that prides itself for its diversity.

Independence, or separation as it is sometimes called, has been at the forefront of the Quebec provincial agenda for over three decades. In the sixties, French-Canadian political organizations began demanding greater independence for the province and by 1976 the first separatist Quebec government was elected with a mandate to create an independent French-speaking nation.

For decades, the names of Karsh and Cavouk continue to evoke a world-standard of photography paralleled by few. Together the two familial dynasties have documented the who's who of the twentieth century and the timeless images of Canada. Today, Malak Karsh and Onnig Cavouk work within their family's great traditions and continue to guarantee a prominent place for Armenian-Canadian photography in the national psyche. 

"People want to go to Armenia and do business in four days. You can't do that," warns Montreal businessman Hagop Amirian, President of Yves Martin Underwear. "I initially went six times and each trip I stayed at least 21 days. Because of Armenia I have started manufacturing new items. Armenia has revitalized my business."

Armenians have begun to take advantage of Canada's growing willingness for ethnic communities to take part on all levels. Slowly Armenians are learning to build coalitions with other Canadian communities as they discover common interests and goals. In Canada's House of Commons, Sarkis Assadourian's strong accent is not unique among his multicultural peers who represent a diverse cross-section of communities across Canada. Elected in 1993, he is the first and only Member of Parliament (MP) of Armenian descent.

The earliest history of Armenians in Canada is mostly an unknown chapter. While records reveal the first Armenian settler, Garabed Nergararian, arrived in Ontario during the 1880?s and lived in the small fishing village of Port Hope, it was not until decades later that any substantial Armenian immigration to Canada began.

Helena Matevossian was not promised a castle in Spain. All she wanted was a job, and she did not even get that. Her long journey out of Armenia ended in the Czech countryside, where she and a group of other Armenians wait at an isolated refugee camp while the authorities decide her fate.