Onnik James, Author at Onnik James Krikorian - Journalist, Photojournalist, Consultant

DiHaj in Tbilisi, A Week Later in Baku Unveils Azerbaijan’s Eurovision Entry

by Onnik James | Mar 11, 2017 | Azerbaijan, Georgia, Music

Diana Hajiyeva (DiHaj) performing with DedeBaba, David Datunashvili, and Irakli Abramishvili at Backstage 76, Tbilisi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2017

I won’t pretend to be a Eurovision fan as it’s really not my thing. Until I moved to the South Caucasus from the U.K. I never ever watched it and actually thought it something best avoided. True, standards in the international music competition have increased considerably since Eastern Europe and other former Soviet republics have participated, and the often acerbic commentary on on Twitter can be fun, but in the few years that really hasn’t been enough.

Last year did at least interest me a little given that a band from Tbilisi, the Young Georgian Lolitaz, represented Georgia as I’ve known their lead singer, Nika Kocharov, and photographed the band since 2005. This year has also sparked my interest given that another band I’ve been photographing for a year now, Baku-based Dihaj, is representing Azerbaijan, and pretty good they are too.

I interviewed DiHaj last year for BBC Azeri.

Coincidentally, DiHaj performed again last weekend in Tbilisi. I had intended anyway to photograph DedeBaba, a bluesy, punkish outfit from Baku that I’m told sing about social issues interspersed with a healthy dose of humour. The band also features DiHaj’s drummer, Ali Nasirov, but as DedeBaba’s guitarist was unable to make the gig at Tbilisi’s Backstage 76, Diana Hajiyeva (DiHaj) sat in with two Georgian musicians, David Datunashvili and Irakli Abramishvili.

Photos of last weekend’s DedeBaba and DiHaj gig on my Facebook, while some audio recordings I made at Backstage 76 follow:

Onnik James Krikorian · Diana Hajiyeva (DiHaj), DeDeBaba, David Datunashvili, and Irakli Abramishvili improvisation

Onnik James Krikorian · Diana Hajiyeva with DeDeBaba / Dihaj (Baku) + David Datunashvili & Irakli Abramishvili

As they had no set rehearsed, what followed was a mix of a few DiHaj and Dedebaba tracks and some intense improvisation. Was also fun to chat with the bands again afterwards, although Diana Hajiyeva didn’t answer the question on everyone’s lips as to what song will will be performed in Kiev. Today, however, along with the official video, all was revealed.

Enjoy.

Lyrics via INFE Azerbaijan.

Standing in a mirror lane wondering what, to do
Another day and gravity’s got, got another hold of me
I never dreamed that this could be happening, not to me
But if he came falling down falling so hard, I started believing

Now I’m into daydreams
Amazed by thorn jeans
Deep into high extremes
When I’m with him it’s fantasy
We’re just like alchemy
Oh I feel ready
Have my skeletons
[I can only trick you once, bad boy]
Have my lungs, my millions
[Talk is cheap don’t speak in tongues, bad boy]
Drum drum drum, bring out the guns
[Drum drum drum, bring out the guns, bad boy]
I’m so so cursed
[Fuss and fight won’t get you tons]
Bad boy
The world is spinning faster by the minute and I’m longing to be saved
This bitter sweet sensation got a, got another hold of me
Now I’m stuck in daydreams
Surrounded by thorn jeans
Deep into high extremes
When we hook up it’s fantasy
We’re just like alchemy
I’ve never been so ready

Have my skeletons
[I can only trick you once, bad boy]
Have my lungs, my millions
[Talk is cheap don’t speak in tongues, bad boy]
Drum drum drum, bring out the guns
[Drum drum drum, bring out the guns, bad boy]
I’m so so cursed
[Fuss and fight won’t get you tons]
Bad boy
[I can only trick you once, bad boy]
I can only trick you once
[Talk is cheap don’t speak in tongues, bad boy]
[Talk is cheap don’t speak in tongues, bad boy]
Talk is cheap don’t speak in tongues
Drum drum drum, bring out the guns
[Drum drum drum, bring out the guns, bad boy]
Bad boy
Fuss and fight won’t get you tons, bad boy
[Fuss and fight won’t get you tons]
Have my skeletons
[I can only trick you once, bad boy]
Have my lungs, my millions
[Talk is cheap don’t speak in tongues, bad boy]
Have my skeletons
[Drum drum drum, bring out the guns, bad boy]
I’m so so cursed
[Fuss and fight won’t get you tons]
Have my skeletons

Incidentally, DiHaj have also become more visible following the recent release of another video, Eşqini Aşagı Sal. Definitely a band we’ll hear more of.

EUMM/IWPR Cross Boundary Workshop for Journalists  

by Onnik James | Dec 11, 2016 | European Union, Georgia, Media, Social Media

EUMM/IWPR Cross Boundary Workshop for Journalists, European External Action Service (EEAS), Brussels, Belgium © Onnik James Krikorian 2016

From the 21st to 25th November, the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) and the South Caucasus office of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) convened a workshop and study visit for journalists from Georgia and its breakaway regions of Abkhazia and Georgia. The workshop was a follow up to one previously held a year ago in Istanbul, Turkey, and held with the intention of also introducing a new group of participants to European Union (EU) structures in Brussels.   

The European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia organised a workshop in Brussels for a group of journalists from Tbilisi, Sokhumi, and Tskhinvali. The workshop was funded by EUMM’s Confidence Building Facility (CBF) and held in the European External Action Service (EEAS) Headquarters in Brussels. Previously, similar workshops have been held in Istanbul, Turkey (2015) and London, UK (2014).

This year the project brought together 12 journalists from Tbilisi, Sokhumi, and Tskhinvali in order to strengthen their networks and enhance their professionalism, especially in the effective use of Social Media. It was carried out jointly by EUMM and the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) in the South Caucasus region.

Bringing the journalist to the capital of the European Union allowed them to see how the main EU institutions – the Council, the Parliament, and the Commission – work. Professional training was conducted by the lead lecturer Onnik James Krikorian, a journalist, photographer and new media consultant from the UK, Harriet Ware-Austin, from Adroit Consultants in the UK, a Human Rights expert and Giorgi Kupatadze from IWPR Tbilisi.

EUMM is grateful to various interlocutors from EU institutions for their time and efforts spent helping to organise this event and talking to participants, as well for Belgian authorities for making this event possible. It might take some time for tangible cross-Administrative Boundary Line journalistic products to emerge from this workshop, but everyone agreed that the information delivered and received and the friendships made will endure.

In summary, my workshops touched upon the following:  

Using social media for cross-border cooperation and communication in conflict zones.
The use of social media in this context using the case of Nagorno Karabakh as a model.
Alternative and counter narratives to combat negative stereotypes and nationalist messaging. iv) The dangers of information bubbles and spread of false messaging, including how to counter.
Best practices for personal security and privacy on social media.

The workshop was interactive and input and discussion among the participants was encouraging. In particular, to close my final session, several journalists recounted positive examples of how the flow of information is improving between Georgian, Abkhazian, and South Ossetian media. Although there is still much more to be done, this was very positive and the workshop provided participants with the possibility to improve this exchange in the future. 

reWoven reVisited: Azerbaijani Carpets in Georgia

by Onnik James | Oct 19, 2016 | Azerbaijan, Georgia, Minorities

Zenura Budako, a 73-year-old carpet weaver in the ethnic Azeri village of Kosalar who has woven carpets for 50 years, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2016

After putting together a short report on reWoven, a sustainable development project to revive and support the tradition of hand weaving carpets among Georgia’s largest ethnic minority, a year ago for BBC Azeri, I returned last week to do another report, but this time in English for Meydan TV.

reWoven is a project of the Millennium Relief and Development Services and Caucasus Hope Partnership to revive and support the tradition of hand-woven carpet weaving in Georgia’s ethnic Azeri community, a practice otherwise in decline among the country’s largest ethnic minority in the country.

Its director, Ryan Smith, has previously run a rug weaving project in Azerbaijan to preserve local tradition and to create income opportunities for ethnic Lezgin women. In 2011, he moved to Georgia.

Although not all of the profit goes to the weavers directly, they do receive 50-100 percent more income than before, which has led to an increase in the number of women hand – weaving carpets. reWoven also intends not only to invest profit into the weavers, but also into their villages. A school in one village, for example, was renovated.

Onnik James Krikorian interviewed Ryan Smith in the ethnic Azeri village of Kosalar in Southern Georgia.

reWoven’s website is at http://www.rewoven.net.

On Aggregate: Champions Without a Home

by Onnik James | Oct 6, 2016 | Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, Sport

Thomas Goltz. Portrait © Onnik James Krikorian 2016

After nearly 19 years of communicating online, I finally managed to meet Thomas Goltz, the American writer and journalist best known for his Azerbaijan Diary, Chechnya Diary, and Georgia Diary books. I also managed to interview him for the BBC’s Azerbaijan Service on his latest project, On Aggregate: Champions Without a Home, the story of Azerbaijan’s Qarabagh-Aghdam football team which has been unable to play home games since 1993 when their city was captured by Armenian forces during the conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh.

“Ümumi nəticə: Evsiz Çempionlar”, Dağlıq Qarabağ münaqişə nəticəsində doğma stadionlarından məhrum olmuş Ağdamın “Qarabağ” futbol klubu haqqında çəkilmiş filmdir.

Bu, amerikalı jurnalist Thomas Goltz-un son layihəsidir.

“Azərbaycan Gündəliyi” kitabının müəllifi olan yazıçının bildirdiyinə görə onun əvvəllər futbol haqqında təsəvvürü belə olmayıb.

O, idmanın bu növü və “Qarabağ” futbol klubu ilə hollandiyalı araşdırmaçı, “Ofsayd: Mühacirətdə Futbol” kitabının müəllifi Arthur Huizinga vasitəsilə tanış olub.

BBC Azərbaycanca üçün Tbilsidə səfərdə olan Thomas Goltz-la müsahibəni britaniyalı jurnalist Onnik James Krikorian alıb.

Interestingly, Thomas Goltz had discovered the team after communicating with Artur Huizinga, co-author of Offside: Football in Exile, the story not only of Qarabagh-Aghdam, but also its counterpart in Stepanakert. I interviewed Huizinga about Offside in 2012.

My interview with Thomas Goltz is available in English and Azerbaijani below:

Woodstock Without Borders: One Caucasus Festival

by Onnik James | Sep 11, 2016 | Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Music

One Caucasus Festival, Tserakvi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2016

I’ve been meaning to attend the annual One Caucasus festival since it started three years ago, but this year’s event, held 25-28 August in the Georgian village of Tserakvi, was the first time that I have. Naturally, I put together two video reports, in Azerbaijani for the BBC’s Azeri Service, embedded below, and in English for Meydan TV directly below.