Hayk [name changed], a single father, is one of the 2,247 HIV-positive people living in Armenia. Once HIV took everything from him: his job, friends, contacts. However, a long depression and discouragement were defeated. After finding a job, friends, and new interests, he himself started to help other people, with the assistance of a daycare center.
authors
Astghik Hakobyan
Astghik Hakobyan is a MA Journalism graduate of Yerevan State University. She has experience working with several media outlets since 2006. Currently, she is working at “Shoghakat TV” channel in Armenia. At the same time, Astghik is the Co-Founder and Board Member of “Culutral Society,” an NGO which aims to be a platform for young artists and scholars to collaborate.
Author's stories
Overcoming HIV status
The preservation and revival of old Armenian traditions is one of the key missions of The Cross of Armenian Unity, along with the presentation of Armenian culture and history. They are doing it in a very lively and economical way. Their model is a museum, a winery, a garden, a ceramics and art school and a social centre in active collaboration with tour agencies. It has proven to be quite effective for nearly 25 years now, both in terms of preserving artefacts and engaging as many as possible viewers.
Contemporary Museum of Old Traditions
“Yelling” Animators This story is about 4 young animators, who founded the Yelling Animation Studio. The startup has been operating in the Tumo Center of Creative Technologies for two years. During this period they became popular, and now have to decide between which orders to accept. Still, they want to create their own animation style, which will be known across the world.
“Yelling” Animators
Art and civil engagement must go hand in hand, thinks pianist Shoghakat Vardanyan who has been in the front row of most of the recent social movements in her native Armenia. At 23, she maintains that young artists should not be confined in their studios, but have the responsibility to react to social injustice and be active in shaping a fair society.