Armenia · December 2020 · Where it began
After the War
The ceasefire was a few weeks old and Covid was at its height. Four days in December that led to everything after.
From An Armenian Journal
In November 2020 I decided to travel to Armenia. The war was coming to an end.
I left London in the knowledge that my mission was worth our family’s while. And I literally did not know anyone upon arrival.
Field note · The minibuses
The minibuses were arriving, not leaving.
Families who had fled Artsakh climbed down with what they could carry. The rest came down off the roof.
Field note · 11 December
Donations came in sacks and carrier bags. Flour, nappies, winter coats.
Volunteers sorted them on the floor of a hall, one pile for each family.
Field note · 10 December
In a bright room children painted at easels, masks on.
An apple and a jug sat on a blue cloth. For an hour the war was somewhere else.
Field note · The portraits on the wall
In the homes we visited, the newest photograph on the wall was often of a son in uniform.
People sat beneath it and told me about him. Then they made coffee.
End of the walk
Where it began
These days in December 2020 were my first visit. The people I met here opened the doors to the villages of The Art of Seeing, The Art of Remembering.
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