by David Zenian
Armenian culture is in a renaissance in Nagorno Karabakh after 70 years of oppression under the heavy hand of Azerbaijani rulers who had spared no effort to isolate the Armenians from one of the main pillars of their national heritage.
Historical monuments were neglected, churches closed and stripped of their religious appearances. Some were used as warehouses and one converted into a spa.
This may have been part of the communist disdain toward religion, but the Armenians of Karabakh are convinced there was more to the actions than a push towards the creation of an atheist society.
"What we faced here in Karabakh was an all-out war against Armenian culture, and this was more than a communist scheme to sovietize the republics of the USSR," an employee of the Stepanakert's Museum of National history said.
Returning to the museum for the second time in as many years, this visitor finds recent additions reflecting the cultural components of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh.
The emphasis is no longer on the "heroes of the Soviet Union," but rather the distinct Armenian character of the region-something which had been pushed aside during 70 years of communist and Azerbaijani rule.
Old Armenian Christian manuscripts are on display for the first time along with other religious artifacts. A room is dedicated to the war of liberation.
Even a room-full of Karabakh rugs are exhibited not only as simple handicrafts, but also as a link with the region's centuries old Armenian heritage.
In fact, at the small Karabakh rug factory in Stepanakert, women artisans are busy keeping this ethnic art form alive.
But what is more significant in Karabakh today is the revival of other things Armenian: theater, literature, the freedom to go back to their roots, and to once again establish their long lost links with Armenia.
The Vahram Papazian Theater Group now travels freely across Karabakh with at least five Armenian productions and 70 performances a year. Its choice of plays are no longer scrutinized by the communist censors and Azerbaijani laws which kept a heavy lid on this literary and artistic form of expression.
At its home base in Stepanakert, the theater group's 460-seat hall is often sold out and the group also performs in Armenia-a novelty because such interaction with Armenia was not only discouraged by Azerbaijan but often banned along with visits by other theater groups from Armenia.
The Karabakh Armenian song and dance ensemble has also been energized in recent years with the addition of a new repertoire with greater emphasis on Armenian folklore and culture. "They did everything to stop the cultural exchange between Armenia and the Armenians of Karabakh," one official said.
Armenian television, broadcast from Armenia, could rarely be seen in Karabakh because relay stations were set to carry programs from Moscow and Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
Today, Nagorno Karabakh TV carries programs from Armenia and has its own television station which broadcasts several hours a day. Plans are well underway to modernize the station and a new studio has already been built to house equipment donated by Diasporan Armenians.
"Television and radio are one of the main sources of not only information, but also an essential means through which people stay connected with their cultural heritage. Both of these were heavily controlled in the past," says Vartgues Baghirian, Director General of Nagorno Karabakh's State Television and Radio Broadcasting Agency.
Along with the electronic media, the secession from Azerbaijan has also opened another new chapter in the lives of the Armenians of Karabakh: books.
Once heavily tinted with communist propaganda and Azerbaijani control, the main State Library in Stepanakert and the smaller libraries in the regions are busy stocking up on books which were once denied to the reading public.
"In Armenia, literature and literary expression were not stifled-provided they did not go contrary to communist ideology.
"Here, the situation was different. Any attempt by us to take a few steps toward Armenia was stopped. There was always an excuse, a fabricated hurdle or an outright ban to prevent us from cultivating cultural relations with our ethnic brothers in Armenia," an official at the Ministry of Culture said.
Today, that barrier is lifted. The Stepanakert library is being vigorously restocked. Out of its 180,000 volumes, 80 percent are Armenian books and 20 percent Russian and more books are being added from Armenia.
The books on history are no longer confined to old communist ideology. Armenian literature is once again finding its natural place among the people.
Armenian history books are also being introduced into the classrooms where not too long ago children were kept in the dark, isolated from their national heritage and culture.
"Nations survive by preserving their culture and heritage. Moscow was not as harsh in dealing with the fifteen republics as Azerbaijan was with the Armenians of Karabakh.
"Another decade under Azerbaijani rule, and this generation would have forgotten who they were," said a government official.
