I was given the opportunity to be sent on a photo reportage by the Œuvre d'Orient in Armenia during the month of July 2021.
The first Christian kingdom in the world, the Armenian people have endured several traumas in a century: a massive genocide at the beginning of the 20th century, a division of their territory by Stalin during the USSR, a destructive earthquake in 1988, and a bloody war against Azerbaijan in 1991 over the autonomous territory of Nagorno-Karabakh
In September 2020, Azerbaijan massively attacks this territory with the support of Turkey, sparking a new war. After 15,000 Armenian deaths, both civilian and military, in 44 days of war, Armenia is forced to sign the armistice.
I discovered Armenia a few months after the end of the conflict. All those I met were very affected by this war. Many have lost a relative, a brother, a father, a friend; but despite this pain, they are a luminous people, welcoming and full of hope.
The photo work I have done is divided into four reports, as I travel:
- The first is that of Tsaghkadzor summer campsorganised by the Sisters for orphans in Armenia.
- The second consists of a series of landscapes of the shores of Sevan Lake, from tourism to poverty.
- Le troisième propose des scènes de vie au cœur de Gyumri and a selection of the charities active there.
- The last one takes you to the southern Armenia route, de sfrom Yerevan to the Khndzoresk Gorge, on the border with Azerbaijan.
I hope that this report will allow you to better understand the life of this great Oriental people,
Côme
l'oeuvre d'orient
For over 160 years, Œuvre d'Orient has been committed to helping Eastern Christians in 23 countries in the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, Eastern Europe and India. In times of war and in times of peace, it supports the work of bishops, priests and religious communities who intervene on behalf of all, regardless of religious affiliation.
In Armenia, Oeuvre d'Orient supports 3 Christian communities with €331,726.
If you also want to help the Christians of the East and Armenia, you will find below two concrete ways to do so: by making a donation or by volunteering.
