NEW YORK — The 110th commemoration of the Armenian Genocide will take place in Times Square, New York, on Sunday, April 27, and will feature remarks by elected officials and guest speakers, as well as a powerful performance by Artsakh-born musician Valeri “Lyoka” Ghazaryan, in an event sponsored by the Knights and Daughters of Vartan, co-sponsored by a number of leading Armenian-American organizations, and led by with masters of ceremonies Diran Jebejian and Chantelle Nasri.
The Commemoration, scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m., will reflect on the 1.5 million Armenians who were massacred by the Young Turk government between 1915 and 1923 under the guise of World War I. Calls for recognition from the Turkish government will be reiterated throughout the program, particularly from U.S. representatives who have remained steadfast supporters of Armenian-American issues and who persistently advocated for Armenian Genocide affirmation.
“For over one hundred years the Armenian people have commemorated the Armenian Genocide to preserve the memory of our ancestors and to ensure that we will continue to fight for global recognition of the first genocide of the 20th century,” said Committee Co-Chairs Haig Gulian and Christopher Artun. “Our platform in Times Square has consistently served as a beacon of truth and remembrance for over 40 years, as our community gathers in one of the most popular sites in the world to remember our Armenian martyrs.”
Lyoka’s songs online have reached 10 million views worldwide. He expressed the importance of “recognizing that the 1.5 million martyrs were people just like us who had dreams and a strong will to live, but they were stripped of that right to live.”
“Diasporan Armenians must act as ambassadors, raising awareness worldwide about the atrocities committed against Armenians,” he continued. “We continue to face new genocides because we do not remember enough, we do not learn enough, we do not appreciate enough, and perhaps, we do not embrace the idea of unity as much as we should.”
A survivor of three Artsakh wars (1990, 2016 and 2020), Lyoka was born in Maragha and was forcibly displaced throughout his life —from his birth city to Martakert to Stepanakert to Yerevan — due to aggression from neighboring Azerbaijan. He hails from a cultural family who wrote poetry and participated in folk Armenian dance troupes, finding solace in the poetic words he wrote when he was seeking safety in a shelter or recovering in a hospital. He began his musical career as a rapper in 2011 and focused his lyrics on resilience, patriotism, loss, and hope.
