Friday 24 April 2015

Charles Aznavour and the commemoration of the Armenian genocide

France's president today attended the 100th anniversary commemorations of the Armenian genocide.

While many world leaders did not attend,  their political concerns still clouding the issue, one figure that was there was French Armenian singer Charles Aznavour.

Aznavour, still performing while aged 90, remains a legendary figure both for his music and his humanitarian work.

Aznavour has been involved for decades with humanitarian work in Armenia, including a charity single that came out following the earthquake in the 1980s.

He has the ceremonial title of French ambassador-at-large to Armenia, and was appointed  Ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland in 2009.

There's a stutue of him in Gyumri, Armenia's second largest city, and a square named after him in Yerevan, ceebrating the links between one of France's

Born in France to parents who fled Armenia, his mother surviving the genocide,  his 1975 song Ils sont tombés commemorates the tragic events.


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