The Demirdjians, a family from the city of Rosario, Argentina, are a team of audiovisual producers and documentary film makers, and also the granddaughters of the Armenian Genocide survivors and the third generation of Armenians born in Argentina.
Several years ago they made a film about their grandfather Guiragos titled “GUIRAGOS, A Child Survivor’s Story”.
“This documentary tells the story of our grandfather, and includes a part dedicated to journalist Hrant Dink. It was filmed in Armenia and Argentina. We believe that it is interesting, we have made more than 100 exhibitions of the documentary, and more than 5000 people attended to see it,” granddaughter Delfina Demirdjian said.
“Our grandfather, Guiragos, was born on September 27, 1908 in Yozgat, which was later seized by Turkey during the revolution perpetrated by the Young Turkish military officers. Our grandfather was 7 years old on April 24, 1915. That was the last night he spent with his family. Sitting on his grandfather’s knees, Guiragos felt his face wet, and wondered why. Years later, he would realize that it was his grandfather’s tears rolling down his long white beard and getting down on his own face. That night he saw how his entire family was slaughtered. Only our grandfather, two of his brothers and some cousins, were able to escape,” she said.
Days later, Guiragos was caught and deported to Aleppo, to the Syrian desert with his two brothers and cousins. The caravans’ final destination was death. In the following months, the Turks carried out the plan of forced mass deportation to the Syrian Desert.
“Besides surviving death, our grandfather had to endure the death marches, and in those subhuman conditions, he faced horror over and over again. One night, they took his little brother away, who was sleeping in the tent, by his side. That would torment him for the rest of his life.”
In 1927, only 77,435 out of 2,100,000 Armenians remained alive. Guiragos was 19 when he came to Argentina where our grandfather met Assanna, another survivor from the genocide. They got married and had three children.
“We are three of his ten grandchildren, who went back to Armenia… 100 years later…,” Delfina emphasized.
The Demirdjians are one of 50 families living in Rosario. Thanks to their efforts, Yerevan State University (YSU) and Yerevan Brusov State University of Languages and Social Sciences signed an agreement with the National University of Rosario (UNR - Argentina) to open an Argentinean corner in Yerevan. The institutions will begin to work with proposals such as a student exchange with the YSU.
