By Melina Paris, Contributing Writer
Emmy Award-winning director Marta Houske’s film, Crows of the Desert — A Hero’s Journey through the Armenian Genocide, will be presented by the Los Angeles Harbor International Film Festival on March 19 at the Warner Grand Theatre.
Houske, the film’s producer, director and writer, has spent almost four years documenting written and photographic accounts of the atrocity, still denied by the Turkish government.
The film is based on the memoirs of Levon Yotnakhparian. It chronicles his struggles to stay alive during multiple harrowing treks to help save thousands of fellow Armenians from near extinction during one of the 20th century’s first genocides.
The story can be hard to understand. But Hauske transports us, presenting a clear timeline of events joined with a beautiful musical score by John Massari. The film offers viewers a grasp of the present crisis in this region and reveals how people of different religions came together to save the Armenians.
Not long ago in America, if someone said they were Armenian, the common reply was, “What’s an Armenian?” Full disclosure: my maternal grandparents were survivors of this genocide.
For a clearer vision, Houske provided some vetted facts by about this genocide and the history behind it. Ground central for this war is now called Israel, Jordan and Syria.
At its peak, the powerful Ottoman Empire stretched from Vienna to Egypt and east to Russia. Yet, after 400 years of decline, it had shrunk to less than half its size while still maintaining control of the Arabian Peninsula.
Around this time, in 1915, Constantinople (known as Istanbul today) was full of successful Armenians. The Ottoman Turks were threatened by this and their loss of wars and territories. They came in to arrest and kill these intellectuals, marking April 24 as the genocide. Later, more Armenians were turned out of their homes and sent on death marches through the desert without food or water.
Able-bodied men throughout the Ottoman Empire were killed except for the young men who enlisted in the army, so that there could be no resistance.
The Young Turks, who had earlier overthrown Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid, came into power. They said the old system was corrupt. They talked of bringing equal rights, which persuaded many Armenians to join the army. This is how Levon, the hero, came in. He and other Armenians joined the army believing in The Young Turks and then it all turned against them.
The Young Turks’ solution to the Empire’s decline was the religious and ethnic cleansing of its society. In an ultranationalist agenda, the government branded the Armenians as Christian infidels. “Turkey is only for the Turks” was their propaganda.
The Turkish government systematically planned to use the cover of war to deport and murder its Armenian, Greek and Assyrian Christian minorities. Estimates of people killed by the Ottoman Turks range from 1.5 million Armenians, 300,000 to 1 million Greeks and 3 to 400,000 Assyrians.
Executive producer of the documentary, Paul Turpanjian shared how this story relates to the current political climate.
“The parallels between the crises taking place today in Syria and Iraq and the events of a hundred years ago are startling,” Turpanjian said. “Once again, regional and world powers are locked in a struggle for control over the very same land resulting in a distressingly similar humanitarian crisis. The film’s examination of historical events helps underscore how current turmoil in the region is primarily motivated by nationalism and imperialist ambition, rather than religion. Yet, much like a century ago, religion is used by both sides to rationalize the conflict and justify atrocities.”
Mutual Cooperation
In large cities like Constantinople, Damascus or Aleppo the Druze, Christians, Muslims and Jews lived together peaceably. Leaders from these religious groups did not hesitate to use any resources available to help the Armenians escape.
The U.S. ambassador to Constantinople, Henry Morgenthau was one of the first people to inform President Woodrow Wilson of what was happening. Morgenthau also co-founded the Near East Relief, the first international aid effort in which American people raised more than 2 billion in today’s dollars. It saved the lives of more one million Armenian, Greek and Assyrian victims.
With Turkish forces hunting and killing Armenians, Levon asked King Hussein bin Ali, head of the ancient Hashemite Arab dynasty, for help. King Hussein had initiated an Arab revolt in 1916 amidst World War I, aligning with the British and French to fight the Ottoman Turks. Hussein agreed to protect the Armenians and issued a decree.
The Druze have their own justice oriented religion based in part on protecting those in need. These fierce warriors lived in the Druze Mountains in Syria. Armenians found refuge there because the Ottomans did not want to cross the mountain range.
Druze chieftain, Emir Hussein El-Attrache pledged to do everything possible for the safety and freedom of the Armenians.
The Jewish people featured in the film, Moshe Smilansky and Sarah Aaronsohn, were witnesses. Aaronsohn, who later became a British spy, testified to seeing up to 5,000 Armenians massacred. As a writer, Smilansky wrote about the women and children refugees stranded throughout the region.
Prince Faisal’s army controlled the Hejaz Railway. Syrian railways were used strictly for military purposes but Faisal who was King Hussein’s son offered the Armenians free transportation to the British refugee camp in Damascus. He also ordered a decree stating that Levon Yotnakhparian was granted permission to transfer all Armenians to Damascus via any train station, free of charge.
King Hussein said that it was their duty as Muslims to protect the persecuted and the traveler.
There was a massive refugee crisis, poverty and starvation. Parents were killed and women were captured and taken into harems. The thousands of orphans who remained spurred this relief effort.
“Collectively as human beings we did the right thing for once,” Houske said. “People came from their higher side to help each other. It’s important to understand that there are times in recent history when people came together instead of fighting. It speaks to the inclusive versus exclusive nature of humans.”
Details: http://crowsofthedesert.com, www.laharborfilmfest.com