by Brandon Balayan | Jan 15, 2024 | Armenia
My dede (grandpa) Dikran hated being called an akhpar. The word comes from the Western Armenian colloquial word for yeghpayr (brother), akhpar, and was used to demean the repatriates from the Middle East. My family knew little about Dikran’s repatriation, but we...
by Brandon Balayan | Mar 8, 2022 | Armenia
In August, several members of the Kooyrigs team travelled to Artsakh to visit some of the beneficiary families of Project Mayreeg and make deliveries of Mayreeg boxes and food boxes. Over the three days that we were there I recorded my experience in photographs and...
by Brandon Balayan | Aug 21, 2021 | Armenia
Since the end of last year’s Artsakh war, Azerbaijani soldiers have been consistently crossing Armenia’s borders, intending to stay. It’s become routine at this point. Azerbaijan encroaches on Armenia’s borders, fires in the direction of...
by Brandon Balayan | Jul 7, 2021 | Armenia
Public transportation is a space for ordinary people. Whether it be commuting to work and back, or going to see a loved one, the destinations of these passengers remain irrelevant to those on the outside. However, these often rusty and not-up-to-date vessels are...