Sergo Kamalov, Tbilisi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2013
Sergo Kamalov is an 85-year-old ethnic Armenian musician living in Tbilisi, Georgia, who plays tar, kamancha, dhol and other instruments common to Armenian, Azerbaijani, and other musical traditions. During the Soviet era, he was also leader of the Sayat Nova Ensemble for a number of years.
Sergo Kamalov, Tbilisi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2013
Yesterday marked the fourth anniversary of the untimely passing of Armenian theatrical director turned peace activist Georgi Vanyan. He was 58.
It was a glimpse of what has otherwise been lost – human contact and friendship. I think it was Thomas de Waal that told me in an interview in Yerevan in the early 2000s that one of the greatest losses in the conflict had been the exodus of ethnic Azerbaijanis from Armenia and ethnic Armenians from Azerbaijan. Today, coexistence and familiarity only exists in third countries such as Georgia.