About the Author
Author's message
Unconditional love to the sacred land
I grew up in an intercultural environment because I was born to Armenian and Greek parents in Armenia. Being a member of a binational family enabled me to think out-of-the-box, consider and analyse things in the international context beyond any national borders.
I am an author of the documentary photography project dedicated to the three genocides - Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian. In another documentary photography project 'Peace and Photography' the case studies of Artsakh and the Turkish occupied of Cyprus were considered. The personal photographic exhibit-presentations were held in New York, London, Thessaloniki, Yerevan, Shushi (Artsakh).
Since February 2020 I have worked as an independent researcher. My current research interests: religious freedom, religious diplomacy, inter-faith, inter-religious, ecumenical matters, peace and reconciliation, peace-building issues, the endangered Christians of the Middle East. In August 2020 I registered the ''Action for Peace'' NGO (Human Rights, Humanitarian Aid and Peacebuilding) in Armenia.
I was collecting information for the Hellenes of Armenia&Artsakh and in 2007 I visited Mehmana, the Greek village of Artsakh. In 2013 the photographic exhibit ''My heart is in the highlands'' was opened at the Cultural Centre of Shushi.
My love to Artsakh has deep roots leading to Armenian identity and the Armenian ancestry from Mush. Being a grandchild of the Armenian genocide survivor, I know what is the lost heritage from the narratives of the Armenian grandfather. Before the second war-2020 I was in Artsakh collecting data for the project ''Nostos: War, Identity and War. Dedicated to the women of Artsakh''. Just in a few days after my return to Yerevan the war started. Through the women's interviews taken in Artsakh I felt the invincible spirit of Artsakh, the people of the beautiful and strong country. The 44-days-war just proved the impressions.
in January 2021 I returned to Artsakh for the second project ''Nostos: The Aftermath of the War''.
Why from Mush to Artsakh?
A fortune sealed by history.
1915....a 8-year old boy from Mush finds refuge in Armenia with a group of other orphans... The ancestral mountains inspire consolation (''mkhitarutun'' in Armenian)....Such was the blessing bestowed upon the family of Mkhitaryans....'' This orphan was my grandfather.
Nostos: From Infinity of Memory to Infinity of Identity
''Nostos (Ancient Greek: νόστος) is a theme used in Ancient Greek literature, which includes an epic hero returning home by sea. In Ancient Greek society, it was deemed a high level of heroism or greatness for those who managed to return. This journey is usually very extensive and includes being shipwrecked in an unknown location and going through certain trials that test the hero. The return isn't just about returning home physically but also about retaining certain statuses and retaining your identity upon arrival.''
Nostos is not only return home, it is return to roots, it is about keeping identity.
Memory is the gratitude of the heart
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all those in Artsakh who inspired and supported my mission during the two last visits in September-2020 and January-2021. All the collected information is/will be a source of the photographic exhibits, books, documentary projects. On this website I reflected only a part of the body of work to show the valuable essence of the projects. Step by step, country by country ....
Dr. Marina Mchitarian-Lazaridou
Armenia-Greece
April 2021
A movable photographic exhibit dedicated to the Armenian Genocide Centennial in Hak village (Kashatagh region, Artsakh) on the 9th of May 2015. Now the village is under AZ control. FROM INFINITY OF MEMORY TO INFINITY OF IDENTITY.