La communauté arménienne d’Ethiopie jeudi 14 Mars 2018 à 7h30 pm
ARPA Institute PresentationThe Ethiopian Armenian Community
By Asbed Pogarian
Thursday, March 14, 2019 @ 7:30PM
In the Aram and Anahis D. Boolghoorjian Hall of the Merdinian School: 13330 Riverside Dr.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Abstract: Armenians and Ethiopians have been in contact for centuries, despite
their distant geographic homelands, mainly in Jerusalem. They both share the
common branch of Christianity, monophysitism, which asserted that in the person of
Jesus Christ there is only one divine nature, rather than two natures, divine and
human, as asserted at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD. Armenian clergy have
visited Ethiopia and vice versa. Individual Armenians have settled in Ethiopia as
traders, emissaries and even diplomats. However, it was only in the late 1800s and
early 1900 that a community was formed in Adis Ababa, the capital. The community
increased in numbers after the Genocide, reaching its peak of around 1,200
members in the 1950s. There are striking similarities between the Armenian and
Ethiopian alphabets, which is considered by some as another indicator of the close
ties Armenians and Ethiopians had as early as 400 AD. In 1924, Ras Teferi
Mekonen, the future Emperor Haile Selassie, "adopted" 40 orphans from the
Armenian orphanage in Jerusalem and brought them to Ethiopia, making them his
official Imperial Marching Band. Their director, Kevork Nalbandian, composed the
first national anthem of Ethiopia in 1930, which was used until the Communist
Revolution of 1974, when it was discontinued. After the overthrow of the Emperor,
most Armenians left the country, thus weakening the community. Today, only about
70 Armenians remain in Adis Ababa with a functioning church and an elementary
school, but no Armenian students in attendance.
Asbed Pogharian is a third generation Ethiopian-Armenian. His paternal
grandfather arrived in Ethiopia in 1899 after surviving the Hamidian massacres of
1895-96. Both his parents were born in Addis Ababa. He left Ethiopia in 1975 to
attend the Melkonian Educational Institute in Cyprus. After graduating form college
in Philadelphia in 1984, he spent a year in Yerevan researching the relationship
between Ethiopians and Armenians throughout history. Last January, after an
absence of 43 years, he returned to Ethiopia for the first time and documented his
travel in a film, Dear Ethiopia: A Love Letter. Parts of his film will be shown at the
presentation. He currently lives in La Crescenta.
Disclaimer: The Merdinian School is not the sponsor of this event and any opinions expressed during the event are not those of the School.
their distant geographic homelands, mainly in Jerusalem. They both share the
common branch of Christianity, monophysitism, which asserted that in the person of
Jesus Christ there is only one divine nature, rather than two natures, divine and
human, as asserted at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD. Armenian clergy have
visited Ethiopia and vice versa. Individual Armenians have settled in Ethiopia as
traders, emissaries and even diplomats. However, it was only in the late 1800s and
early 1900 that a community was formed in Adis Ababa, the capital. The community
increased in numbers after the Genocide, reaching its peak of around 1,200
members in the 1950s. There are striking similarities between the Armenian and
Ethiopian alphabets, which is considered by some as another indicator of the close
ties Armenians and Ethiopians had as early as 400 AD. In 1924, Ras Teferi
Mekonen, the future Emperor Haile Selassie, "adopted" 40 orphans from the
Armenian orphanage in Jerusalem and brought them to Ethiopia, making them his
official Imperial Marching Band. Their director, Kevork Nalbandian, composed the
first national anthem of Ethiopia in 1930, which was used until the Communist
Revolution of 1974, when it was discontinued. After the overthrow of the Emperor,
most Armenians left the country, thus weakening the community. Today, only about
70 Armenians remain in Adis Ababa with a functioning church and an elementary
school, but no Armenian students in attendance.
Asbed Pogharian is a third generation Ethiopian-Armenian. His paternal
grandfather arrived in Ethiopia in 1899 after surviving the Hamidian massacres of
1895-96. Both his parents were born in Addis Ababa. He left Ethiopia in 1975 to
attend the Melkonian Educational Institute in Cyprus. After graduating form college
in Philadelphia in 1984, he spent a year in Yerevan researching the relationship
between Ethiopians and Armenians throughout history. Last January, after an
absence of 43 years, he returned to Ethiopia for the first time and documented his
travel in a film, Dear Ethiopia: A Love Letter. Parts of his film will be shown at the
presentation. He currently lives in La Crescenta.
Disclaimer: The Merdinian School is not the sponsor of this event and any opinions expressed during the event are not those of the School.
For information please contact Dr. Hagop Panossian at (818) 453-0618