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Yerevan Garbage Man: 'Elections? You have to be kidding me'

Ani Hovhannisyan

Our car made its way out of the city jammed to the gills with election campaigns and slogans.

We passed by the decaying hulks of former factories and found ourselves smack dab in yet another unfortunate reality.

On the road leading to the garbage dump at Village 4, we only spotted trucks ferrying trash. But we were in search of people. We then spotted a small fire up ahead on the top of a deserted hill.

A 40-ish man was picking through the refuse, sorting out pieces of metal and copper wire. He was sticking them in the fire to burn off the plastic bits. The copper would be sold to keep his family going for yet another day.

“I’m a garbage man for the Ajapnyak district. When we collect the trash, we also look for the good stuff. We pick out the metal and copper. The fire is used to clean the items we save. Then we sell it. It’s hard work but what choice do we have,” said Yurik, a father of three.

His eldest son is 23 and unemployed. “He wants to go to Russia for seasonal work. Here, they cheat him and don’t pay. They pay us a pittance here, 105,000 AMD. You can’t raise a family on that,” says Yurik.

Yurik is the family’s sole breadwinner. His wife can’t work. She has intestinal problems. “They say it’s cancer. Every four years or so she gets an operation. It’s a stop-gap measure. But she doesn’t leave the house.”

A kilo of the metallic refuse can fetch about 1,700 AMD. In a good week, Yurik and his two partners can collect and clean about 4-5 kilos. They sell the stuff and split the proceeds three ways.

Yurik says he has no interest at all in the upcoming presidential election or in politics in general. He’s says he has too much dignity to vote.

“Tell me, who should I vote for and why. How long can we be cheated? Do you think I can accept a 10,000 AMD bribe and thus betray myself? No thanks.”

Ani Hovhannisyan                                                                                            

Edik Baghdasaryan                                                                                          

Saro Baghdasaryan

Comments (6)

Betty
tox ampoxch joxovurte desne es vijake... mer azke espes bidi liner..?? tsaxelen mer yerkire ..shad vadem zgum yes intc
liana
araj depi apahov axbanoc!!!!
aram
This is a sad story depicting the lack of understanding of and faith in elections. His frustration is understandable but his not voting unacceptable. One of the presidential candidates is better than the others ,and if he votes for him he and Hayastan will be better off. Move on. Do not stagnate brothers and sisters.
Joel
As in the US, little changes through the electoral process, and that's what people who have been marginalized like this man understand very well. His story and attitudes are far too common across Armenia.
nazar
mi or gone Yuriki poxaren xekavarneric mek@ haytnver, te inch en etqan antasib axr
Hayrenik
Txura joxovurt vichake!!! Hazaravor martik es mer yergrum Yuriki nmana aprum! Astvac ta stapvenk mihat y dura gank es iravichake poxelu!

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