Zarmanazan at 10! Celebrating a Decade of Linguistic Creativity

Zarmanazan has brought together a growing community of children and young adults from the Armenian Diaspora around the world. Through its summer programme in France and various other initiatives emanating from it, Zarmanazan has created a space where Western Armenian is lived naturally through creative expression, language acquisition and shared experiences.

The congress brings together members of the Zarmanazan community, educators, artists and other contributors to reflect on the achievements and challenges of the past ten years, and to consider possible next steps. Part of the gathering is dedicated to internal discussions and working sessions to assess impact and to strategise for the future. The other part is to tell the story of Zarmanazan to a broader audience and to engage with similar experiences, collectively exploring questions of language, identity, creativity and belonging.

Language Transmission and Vitality in the Diaspora

On 4 November, from 14:30 to 18:30, the public conference Alive in the Diaspora: Language Transmission and Vitality – Portuguese and Armenian Experiences takes place in Auditorium 3 of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

Bringing together speakers from different linguistic and institutional backgrounds, the conference explores the challenges of transmitting languages across generations and beyond their territories of origin.

Two panels examine the transmission of Portuguese in the Diaspora and the transmission and revitalisation of minority languages in Portugal, including Mirandese, Ukrainian and Cape Verdean Creole. Presentations also address public policies on language and integration in Portugal and introduce Zarmanazan’s experience of Western Armenian language immersion to Portuguese audiences for the first time.

The conference aims to encourage dialogue and mutual learning between communities facing various types of linguistic challenges and assimilation.

Prior to the conference, the Zarmanazan initiative is presented to Gulbenkian Staff in a separate event specifically designed for the Foundation.

A Performance Exploring Memory and Belonging

On 3 November at 19:30, the Istanbul-based collective Çıplak Ayaklar presents SAR. This Is a Mountain Story, a performance featuring Mihran Tomasyan (dance) and Berkant Kılıçkap (live music), with lighting by Yasin Gültepe.

Through the story of an uprooted tree and its scattered descendants, the performance explores themes of displacement, memory, and the enduring connections between people, places and identity.

Zarmanazan Through Young Eyes: An Exhibition

From 2 to 9 November, an exhibition in the Foundation’s Hall do Secretariado showcases creative works by children and young people who have participated in Zarmanazan.

Featuring drawings, watercolours, ceramics, puppets, cardboard constructions, written stories and videos from recent editions of Zarmanazan, the exhibition offers a glimpse into the imagination of its participants.

Created through workshops conducted entirely in Western Armenian, these works illustrate how language can become a means of artistic expression, collaboration and discovery.

Additional information on all the public activities can be found on the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s online agenda: conference, performance and exhibition.