The Centennial of “Jamanak” continues

“The time of Jamanak” that has already lasted for a century, documentarians Tigran Paskevichian and Ara Shirinyan have fitted in an hour as a result of eight years of work, carefully choosing the most influential, important, crucial, significant, vital, interesting moments in the history of  the oldest Armenian daily newspaper “Jamanak” published in Constantinople. “Jamanak” daily having been founded by Misak (writer, publicist, educator) and Sargis (entrepreneur, the founder of the first advertising agency in Constantinople) Kochunians, and having an uninterrupted record of 106 years of publication, has not been considered as a press of minority, the Armenians in Turkey, but an advanced and opinion-shaping journalistic unit with national importance due to the prudence and diplomatic thinking of the four generations of Kochunian family.  The daily newspaper was always highly considered among the Armenian in Turkey. Originally, its function was not limited to giving information, and it brought together the leading intellectuals of the time: Grigor Zohrab, Zabel Yesayan, Ruben Sevak, Ruben Zardaryan, Yervand Otyan, Vahan Tekeyan, Arshak Chopanyan, Levon Zaven Syurmelyan and others. The daily has been a balanced and prudent mediator between them and society. The most prominent manifestation of the above mentioned was the existence and daily publication providing power of the paralyzed newspaper as a result of not only the pain, but also the physical destruction of its correspondents during the Genocide. The editorial staff also had that power due to the strong spirit and flexible mind of the women of Kochunian family. “Jamanak” saved the Armenians with its viability, assuming the responsibility of survival by means of daily publications. The success in that matter is based on refraining from extremism and refusing the path of gaining reputation through the adventure during the whole existence of the daily. This principle was practiced by all the editors of the newspaper: Misak, Sargis, Malik, Martiros, Ara, Lily, Sargis and again Ara Kochunians (the latter is the current editor, the representative of the fourth generation of the family). By putting the institutional principles above the personal interests in the case of national issues, the daily managed to prevent the Armenians in Turkey from the turmoil accompanying the solution of that issues. “Jamanak” managed to overcome not only political, but also economic difficulties, which emerged from the introduction of the property tax in 1940 as a result of the massive leaving of impoverished Armenian-speaking families from Turkey.

“Jamanak” continues to stay true to its principles and mission, the documentary evidence of which is detailed in the movie “The Time of Jamanak”. Its screening took place on 16 May in the Yerevan office of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) with the assistance of the union and the RA Ministry of Culture. And the screening took place in a hall full of people interested in documentary films and the history of the Armenian press. The movie was not only appreciated as a successful example of documentary films, but also as a manual of the technical measures for the creation of printed press and the history of the Armenian press, the lack of which is running continuously in spite of the fact that the history of the Armenian press is truly glorious.

Nana Petrosyan