Sunday, September 12

"Passenger"

This is the title of a short movie/ project, prepared by two young journalists from Armenia and Azerbaijan. The idea is very creative I have to say. Two taxi drivers- Armenian and Azerbaijani- drive around their cities- Yerevan and Baku- listening to Azerbaijani and Armenian (respectively) music and asking their passengers what do they think of the other. 

My first impressions: it made me feel sad, because watching it, whether you want it or not, the reality hits you. While, many young people from both sides are engaged in joint projects, conversations, meetings and initiatives- working together to break the walls of long- lasting mistrust- still, many if not majority on both sides, think of the other as "an enemy". 

The movie also shows, how little the two sides know of each other, something thats been generated as a result of long and thus as a result deeply embedded stereotypes. 

Though, overall, I found the initiative engaging, the lack of passengers talking from the Azerbaijani side, makes the movie rather weak especially in terms of understanding both sides' thinking (if thats what this project aims at, and I believe thats what it is). I would say, thats the biggest minus of this movie. 

Пассажир from eurasiaam on Vimeo.

7 comments:

Onnik Krikorian said...

Global Voices would like to thank Mika Artyan, Liana Aghajanian, Yelena Osipova, Arzu Geybullayeva and Aygun Janmammadova for taking the time to post their responses to the Eurasia Partnership Foundation video specially for this entry.

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/09/13/armenia-azerbaijan-backseat-musical-musings-and-ethnic-conflict/

Arzu Geybulla said...

Thank you Onnik and the rest of the contributors! Special thanks to Onnik for initiating this!

Onnik Krikorian said...

Thank you.

Would have been nothing without you guys...

Unknown said...

Good job guys!

BOZGURD said...

erməninin ağına da lənət, qarasına da. elə bunları sevənlərinə də.

Arzu Geybulla said...

Translation of the comment by Bozgurd: "curse any Armenian and all those who love them" (was the original comment)

Response: then we all are cursed (o zaman onda ele men de, ele onlari seven ve onlarla ishleyen diger butun insanlar lenetlidir)

Azerinho said...

I didn't have time to watch this whole survey. Due to the part I watched, I would say that we acted more tolerable than the Armenians did. To speak frankly, I wouldn't stay on that taxi more than a minute. Most Armenians who lives abroad always tells that they're not hostile toward us personally. They try to convince us that they want to an agreement on Nagorno Karabakh problem. All of these are pure bluffs. This video also demonstrated that they don't think that we are their friend.