TCAArgent 3 — The Tekeyan Cultural Association Suren and Virginia Fesjian Center at night (photo Aram Arkun)

Arts & Culture Community International culture journalism newspaper

Argentina’s Tekeyan Center and Sardarabad Daily Connect Community, Promote Culture

October 6, 2025

by

135

BUENOS AIRES — The Tekeyan Cultural Association (TCA) of Argentina is an active part of the Argentine-Armenian community, with its headquarters centrally located on Armenia Street, along with the Armenian Diocese, the Armenian General Benevolent Union, schools, and many other Armenian institutions in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It publishes the trilingual daily newspaper Sardarabad and promotes the Armenian language and heritage through a series of activities.

Tekeyan Cultural Association President and Sardarabad Director Sergio Nahabetian

Many cultural events have taken place in its building, according to Susana Dergarabetian Nahabetian, one of the Tekeyan executive members, including book presentations, exhibitions of paintings or sculptures, and film screenings. The embassy of the Republic of Armenia has always been given space to hold its events or presentations here for three decades, she said. For the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, an art installation was made of the words in Armenian for we survive (g’abrink), and the Tekeyan Cultural Association had it displayed not only at its center but in many other places in Argentina.

Editor and Tekeyan executive member Susana Dergarabetian Nahabetian at the Sardarabad 50th anniversary celebration (photo Aram Arkun)

For some 15 years now, every July 20, the Argentine holiday of friendship (Dia del Amigo) was celebrated by the TCA with tea for around 150 people. As some of the participating ladies grew older, Susana recalled, they had difficulty in climbing stairs but they still wanted to come to enjoy the warm atmosphere in the Tekeyan center. The construction of an elevator solved that problem.

Mural inside the Tekeyan Cultural Association Center by Manuel Gheridian, 1997 (photo Aram Arkun)

The Tekeyan center has also attracted visitors from the Armenian diaspora, ranging from the Catholicos of All Armenians to cultural and artistic celebrities. Many have taken photos in front of the center’s miniature sculpture of the Sardarabad monument in Armenia, Susana recalled.

Sculptural replica of the Sardarabad Monument in Armenia, 1998 (photo Aram Arkun)

History

TCA was first established in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1947 and soon chapters were created throughout the Middle East. It is affiliated with the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (ADL, or Ramgavar). In Buenos Aires, the ADL published a newspaper called Surhantag from 1960-1963 under the editorship of Dajad Mutalupian (Dajad Kntuni) for South American Armenian communities.

When the Armenian-American philanthropist Alex Manoogian visited Buenos Aires in 1968 he encouraged ADL members to get their own building for activities. Current TCA president Sergio Nahabetian recalled that previously they had to meet in coffeehouses or other Armenian institutions. When Catholicos of All Armenians Vasken I visited (1960), they had to go to an Argentine hall to celebrate with him one night.

Sergio said that his father, Nahabet Nahabetian, was moved to purchase and donate a property on Niceto Vega Street (address no. 4777) in the Palermo neighborhood in 1971 or 1972 which became their meeting place.

Initially, the cultural organization that Nahabet Nahabetian and his associates founded was called the Arshag Chobanian Cultural Association. Visits of ADL and TCA leaders from other diasporan communities to Argentina led the local Armenians to change the name of the association to the Tekeyan Cultural Association, Sergio Nahabetian said, in order to make clearer the connection between the local organization and those abroad. This happened sometime in 1981.

The ADL continued its own activities. In 1982, Sergio said, it published a small book in Buenos Aires in Spanish on the principles of the ADL by Haig Shahinian (Conceptos básicos de la organización demócrata liberal armenia, Organización Demócrata Liberal Armenia).

Later Nahabet planned for a new TCA center and bought and donated two more properties right around the block from the old center on what soon became named Armenia Street. Supporters in this work included Aram Donikian, Haig Shahinian, Barkev Dergarabetian, Taniel Youssefian, Mihran Sarafian and Jose Nargizian, said Sergio. A generous donation from American-Armenian philanthropist Suren Fesjian led eventually to the construction of the current TCA Suren and Virginia Fesjian Center, which was inaugurated in 1998. At the entrance of the center is a replica of the monument in Armenia dedicated to the battle of Sardarabad of 1918.

The first original property was given to the AGBU for the use of their scouts, Sergio said.

The Armenian Mirror-Spectator

Topics: culture, journalism, newspaper

People: Diana Dergarabetian, Nahabet Nahabetian, Sergio Nahabetian, Susana Nahabetian

MORE FROM Arts & Culture

Armenian State Jazz Orchestra

Changing Sound of Armenian Jazz

In 2023, the center was renovated with the addition of air conditioning and an elevator for handicapped access.

The ADL was one of the eight founding institutions of the community coordinating council Instituciones Armenias de la República Argentina (IARA) created on the centenary of the Armenian Genocide and TCA is also a member. Sergio Nalbandian served as the IARA president in 2020. He said, “It was good that it was created, because it is a place where we speak about important matters, not simply daily issues. When important issues exist, we all try to come to agreement and work as one force.”

Sardarabad

In 1975 Nahabet founded the newspaper Sardarabad and became its first director (the term refers to a combination of publisher and editor-in-chief). The responsible directors of the newspaper, after Nahabet Nahabetian, included, in order, Daniel Youssefian, Mihran Sarafian, Diana Dergarabetian de Pérez Valderrama, and then Sergio Nahabetian until the present, with Susana Dergarabetian Nahabetian serving concurrently now as editor.

Former Sardarabad director Diana Dergarabetian de Pérez Valderrama at the newspaper’s 50th anniversary celebration, with Sergio Nahabetian in the background (photo Aram Arkun)

Sardarabad initially included articles in both Spanish and Armenian (English articles were added in later years). Kevork Marashlian, who directed the Armenian section of the newspaper in the early years and was also principal of the Argentine AGBU school Instituto Marie Manoogian from 1977 to 1989, declared that the establishment of the newspaper was done with the financial support of the following individuals, who were all also involved in the Armenian General Benevolent Union: Mihran Sarafian, Daniel Youssefian, Hovsep Youssefian, Ardashes Vaneskeheian, Barkev Dergarabetian, Vartan Shahinian, Jose Nargizian and Jorge Sarafian. In addition, Avedis Barsamian and Avedis Nalbandian, both from Uruguay, supported the paper, as well as Oshin Mosditchian from Brazil.

The leading editorial of the first issue of Sardarabad, which appeared on September 6, stated in Armenian that the new newspaper wished to become engaged in the affairs of the community, in particular in the social and ideological realm, through words and thoughts. The name Sardarabad was chosen to recall the battle victory in 1918 which ensured the survival of the Armenian people and a fraction of its homeland.

The editorial notes that there is a crisis in the community that is primarily moral and spiritual, dividing it into factions, and calls for peace and cooperation. As criticism is a vital factor in all spheres of Armenian community life, Sardarabad, it promises, will be a reasonable critic. The editorial in the second issue of Sardarabad amplifies the call for cooperation and solidarity in South American Armenian life.

In addition to Marashlian, editors of the Armenian section included Varuzhan Ajemian, Khachig Janoyan, Hovig Eordekian, Norair Karadanian, Ohan Bodroumian. Sossie Hadjian also helped. Others who contributed editorial work included Daniel Youssefian, Vartan and Haig Shahinian, Mihran Sarafian, Pascual Ohanian, Raffi Bedoyan and Vartan Matteosian.

Sergio Nahabetian said that the newspaper initially was prepared on a linotype (a typesetting machine) and printed in a different place. Then when philanthropist Manoogian visited Buenos Aires again, Nahabetian said that he donated to the newspaper a Compugraphic machine. In the Tekeyan Center, there was a darkroom in which to prepare the films for the newspaper which were then sent for offset printing. Newer systems followed.

Nahabetian said that when the Covid pandemic shut down everything in Argentina for 6 or 8 months, stores and printing presses were also closed. The last print issue of Sardarabad appeared on September 2, 2020. The paper then relied on its website, with news updated daily. He said, “We decided at that time to stop printing, and it was better not to print afterwards too, since it was very expensive and mailing was very difficult. Moreover, we wouldn’t be able to continue as a daily, and a weekly newspaper is late in giving news.”

The newspaper celebrated its 50^th anniversary last month (see its coverage in the Mirror-Spectator).

Previous Armenian Cultural Days Highlight Armenian Culture in Stuttgart and Göppingen, Germany

Next Vibrant Argentine-Armenian Community Maintains Its Culture

Discover more cities:

Top 5 Articles