by David Zenian
Across Holland a small Armenian foundation is making big waves. Its resources are limited, but its mission has no boundaries.
"Our objective is very simple," says Ararat Foundation executive director Harout Simonian. "We reach out to people in need of help, and this does not always mean Armenians."
Established in 1979 to "foster the development of the growing Armenian community in the Netherlands and its integration into Dutch society," Ararat has branched out to assume the role of a resource center and a focal point of all contacts between everything Armenian and Dutch.
"We never say no to any request that comes our way. We do not represent the Armenian government, and we are not a diplomatic mission, but act as Armenia's window into Dutch society," Simonian says. It was this outlook and declared objective that has brought the Foundation and the Dutch International Dance Theater together in a partnership to introduce Armenian music and dance to the country's cultural landscape.
"When we were preparing our repertoire for this season, we turned to the Ararat Foundation for advice and help. We wanted to include a number of traditional Armenian folk dances into our 1999 program which is a loose journey depicting the cultures of people from Central Asia to the Black Sea," said the group's artistic director Maurits van Geel.
"We have worked very closely with Ararat in the past years and together we produced a large collection of Armenian songs and tunes on compact discs. We received the same help and encouragement when it came to putting together the dance routines," he said.
Established 36 years ago, the Dutch International Dance Theater has given theatrical form to dance folklore from Europe and other parts of the world. With its 25 multi-national dancers and seven musicians, the state-financed group has toured not only Holland and Europe, but also countries as far away as China, and India.
Its 1999 program opened in February, and by the time the season ends in November, it is estimated that more than 50,000 people will see the group perform "Tamzara" and "Garmeer Khntsor", the two traditional Armenian folk dances which are the "finale", or closing numbers, in each of the scheduled 50 performances.
Other dances are from China, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Iran - each performed by Dutch and other Western dancers accompanied by Dutch musicians who use the authentic instruments of each of the countries included in the program.
To prepare for the repertoire, van Geel has traveled to all the countries whose dances are performed and brought back their original costumes and often ethnic choreographers to help teach the group.
"For this year's presentation, we decided on an Armenian finale because the Armenian dances are the most powerful in our 1999 repertoire," van Geel said after a recent full-house performance at the De Bussel Theater in Oosterhout, a small Dutch town close to the German border.
As the curtain closed, the applause by the cheering audience of more than 600 brought the performers back for four encores and even more curtain calls.
"The audience left the theater with the Armenian dances deeply entrenched in their memories. People always remember the last dance," van Geel said.
But Ararat's mission is not only cultural.
In the Dutch academic world and the media Ararat has established itself as a true facilitator, helping think tanks, universities, newspapers and television stations, along with law enforcement agencies and social workers who often turn to the Ararat Foundation for help in all matters that deal with Armenia and Armenians.
At the University of Leiden, Prof. Jos J.S. Weitenberg, who chairs the Armenian Studies Program, works closely with the Ararat Foundation to research and publish scholarly works on Armenian history, language, theology and culture.
The program, which also offers a number of courses in Armenian history, culture and language, is mainly funded by the University itself, but also receives some financial help through Ararat's contacts with Armenian Diaspora organizations.
Its students are mainly linguistics majors, but the courses are also often attended by second-generation Armenians along with theology students, architects, doctors and lawyers who need Armenian to enhance their specific field of education.
Prof. Weitenberg, who is a member of the International Association of Armenian Studies, is fluent in Armenian and has studied in Belgium and Germany along with Armenia, was recently asked to help develop a special Armenian program which the Ararat Foundation is offering to the children of Armenian immigrant families in Amsterdam.
Since its inception 20 years ago and with help from the Karagheusian Commemorative Corp., Ararat has expanded its activities into almost every walk of life. It acts as an Armenian information center for Dutch academic institutions, provides translation services for both newcomers and Dutch researchers and has become a trusted conduit between the Armenian community of Holland and the Dutch society at large.
Despite its meager funding which now comes mainly from Dutch sources, the Ararat Foundation has built a valuable library containing about 1000 books, hundreds of compact discs and dozens of other research papers and publications which are at the disposal of students, scholars and the public. Its music library provides sheet music to musicians and choirs.
Several Dutch journalists frequently use the Ararat Foundation as a resource center. One such journalist is currently working on a book about the Armenian prisoners of war in the Netherlands during the period between 1941 and 1945.
In February this year, the Ararat Foundation played a key role in organizing the visit to Holland of a group of young Armenian students and orphans.
It also helped one of Amsterdam's popular cable television stations to produce an hour-long program on the visit which was in itself an opportunity to "educate" the Dutch public about life in post-communist Armenia.
"We are in constant contact with journalists, and media people in general who come to us for help. We arrange their visits to Armenia, help them with their research through our library and generally facilitate their work," Simonian says.
One such television cameraman, Mattias Ylstra, whose grandmother is Armenian, has traveled to Yerevan several times and helped prepare a number of documentaries on Armenian life for his cable television station.
But despite its ever-expanding scope, Ararat has remained loyal to its early mission: helping the new Armenian settlers in Holland.
Not a day passes without someone turning to the Ararat Foundation for help.
"We are the first point of contact for all new Armenian immigrants. They come to us if they need help to find a lawyer, a place to stay, assistance with immigration papers, employment or medical care.
"Recently, we have noticed that the social events we organize are also proving to be more than just entertainment. After a recent dinner dance we organized, we heard that a number of people who had met there for the first time are now engaged and planning weddings. This is something new, but we are happy to create this opportunity for our young generation," Simonian said.
"For many Armenians, Ararat is home away from home. We help them find their way into Dutch society while preserving their national identity," Simonian said.
"Diaspora entities like the Karagheusian and Gulbenkian Foundations helped us get launched in our early years, now we are turning to our own constituents in Holland to keep us going," he said.
