“Armenians must stop the self-delusion and get to work” In 2001, Armineh Arakelyan and her mother left Sweden and moved to Armenia. Armineh says it was a conscious move and that they were motivated by a  sense of belonging and responsibility rather than pure emotionalism. "I have tasted what it's like yo be on the outside; one isn't a full person. There are people for whom material possessions are primary; you must own a house, a car, a good job and food to eat. You only go around once in life. If you are going to lead half a life, then what good is it? I feel a responsibility to share what I have learned with Armenia. I will stay in Armenia until the time when I feel that I am no longer of use or when I am prevented from doing what needs to be done. If a repressive regime comes to power, then I will probably leave," says Armineh. Prior to her leaving Amenia in 1999, she had set up the Institute for Democracy and Human Rights (IDHR), an NGO. The name implies what the organizations aims were. Armineh was born in Tehran and spent the first twenty years of her life in Iran. She then studi9es in London. She has worked as an attorney and in the political arena in Europe, Africa and Asia for eighteen years. She is a citizen of France. After arriving in Armenia, Armineh first lived in Yerevan. She now resides in the village of Mughni, some twenty kilometers outside the capital. She comes to Yerevan about twice a week. "You decide your citizenship. I have an Armenian upbringing. Armenia had just gained its independence at the time and we had to assist in its establishment. I need everything to hold my head high and retain my dignity when I cam to Armenia, to teach the young generation and to help shape a civil society. I didn't want to get into commerce. It's not my thing. There is no real society in Armenia. Rather, there is a system of entrenched egoism and serfdom. You either have to subordinate yourself to the powers that be and hang your head low or else mimic them," says Armineh. She turned over the reins of IHDR to the young generation in 2008, but she still assists as an advisor. "At least we have made some success on a micro-level. It's tough for the new generation to live her in Armenia. I always tell them to go overseas, get an education and experience, and then come back," she says. With her professional skills, Armineh has also sought to help out in community matters. She tells me about the two year struggle they waged to stop an electrical sub-station from being built next to the Cascade. "They said 'we will shoot you. WE have three pistols'. Residents in the building never returned to their homes at night to sleep. They were that frightened. The guy who organized the terror campaign was the former police chief. My dignity was wounded." Now, she is trying to resolve community issues in Mughni and, as Armineh puts it, to pull it out of the 15th century. "I have always loved to live in the bosom of nature. I looked around at some places outside Yerevan and fell in love with Mughni. I bought a house in the "Sumgait" neighborhood. The area is quite depressed. But I fixed up the house in a modest way. There are trees in the yard. I have my animals to tend and I work in the garden. I walk through the village and dispense free legal advice," she says. She also provides advisory services on the internet. Recently, she was offered a top job in Geneva, but she turned it down. "I am a person who dreams and my primary desire is to be able to lead a dignified life here in my homeland. Humanity has moved far from nature. Nature imparts strength and spiritual calm.. Otherwise you go nuts. I lead a full and rich life here. I experience both pain and joy , and struggle." She says that if you want to change something, you have to come, enjoy and get to work. You can't change things from afar, in a sort of virtual reality. "There are some who are what I call 'passport' Armenians. Wherever one lives, they must live to the fullest. If one lives in France, at least immerse yourself in the country, get to know it and the people. Don't just go to make 'kebab'. And what about those who have gone to the United States and have formed their little ghetto, Los Armenos. When a singer visits from Armenia, the people get emotional and weep. Why weep? These people want the best of both worlds. You get these diaspora Armenians who come to Armenia and complain, 'they have littered here and there". Well them, come here and fix things. It's better not to come at all if you are just a casual observer passing through. They have gone off to make money. Well then, I say go and make your money already. Why do you continue to pine about Armenia. What do you miss, the 'kebab'? "The prime challenge facing Armenians is nation building" "Time is working against the diaspora. One cannot maintain their identity overseas. Generations are being lost. Being Armenian must be maintained differently. The first thing one must do is to establish a self-identity, to understand what one has inherited from the past. But we just engage in feasting on 'kebab and khorovadz" and making speeches regarding Genocide recognition. It's not enough. What does this offer to a young Armenians living in Paris. He or she is doing the very same things as their grandparents, from the impetus based on tradition." This, in Armineh's opinion, results from the fact that just as Armenia isn't following the path of nation building, so too isn't the diaspora. "The main issue for Armenians is the establishment of a state polity. We have all the formal trappings, a flag and emblem but the essence is missing. The base for any state is the citizenry, not the passport. We must be able to educate citizens, from the kids to the state bureaucrats. They all must understand that this public space belongs to them. They must feel its pain and be motivated to improve conditions, rather than to steal and pilfer for personal gain." In her opinion, if we are incapable of establishing our state, then we will disappear like the Assyrians or wind up being colonized by another nation. "Just as we are, to a certain extent, the colony of Russia today. What do we have that is ours? The public services? The political forces? If you are not a legitimate government ten you will be forced to listen to what others dictate. You will have to listen to the Russians. To some degree, we are also a colony of the World Bank and the West. We have a massive external debt. No wonder we are not progressing. Armineh believes that in order to gauge the rate of development of any country, one must look to see how the very young and seniors on pensions are making out. "One day we will also retire. You can't live on 20,000 AMD per month." It is the nature of Armenia that has amazed Armineh the most. She says we have the luxury of enjoying all four seasons and the possibility of experiencing a variety of climatic landscapes. While comparing Armenia with her former places of residence, Armineh notes that what infuriates her the most here is the extreme degree of self bravado and boasting. "We do not accept the reality of what we are. Hey, accept what you are in order to change for the better. Otherwise, keep repeating the mantra that  'I am so great, I am 4,000 years old, I am this and that'. But in reality, you live a pretty primitive life. We boast that others were hopping around in the forest while we had Tigran the Great. But today, they are no longer in the forest, we are. In Africa, they are conscious of their poverty." Armineh believes what is lacking in Armenia is "public consciousness". She cotes examples fro Sweden, where local city officials can be sacked just for not seeing that the garbage is collected on time. "We are very akin to the Middle East. We are similar in character, lifestyle and customs. In Latin America and Africa there was a protracted process to obtain independence. They struggled to obtain it while it was granted to us. The Soviet Union collapsed and we became independent. That's why we do not savor it. In Africa, people may lead a more rural, agriculture-based existence without the luxury of TV's and other conveniences, but at least they preserve their traditions. Here in Armenia, it's an anti-culture, starting with the TV and ending with what you eat."