“We shouldn’t live for nothing else but for the sake of driving a luxury SUV”

The director of the Armenian Navy Band, musician Arto Tunjboyajian had an interview with us late at night. He was packing to leave for the US. There were journalists in the room, who were waiting in line to interview him. I was carefully following the responses of Arto. Two years back I met Arto in Istanbul during a press conference with a Kurdish musical band. On that day, Arto was more depressed, he was offended by the authorities but that conversation was so short that we didn’t manage to speak about other matters. I was able to meet Arto only recently and our conversation started from the inscription on his hat – “Love, respect truth.”

-Arto, what is the truth that you love and respect?

-We should work to make sure that everything is clean and sincere. If you can’t put love in everything that’s ok. The most important thing is to respect.

-And what is truth?

-The truth is not to lie, which starts from you. You shouldn’t be greedy when the lie and greediness join each other. I am greedy in art and music and sometimes I lie to my mom by saying I ate the food. That is not a dangerous lie. A person has to live like a person like a human being.

-But there are cases when you suffer by telling the truth.

-Sometimes I turn into a mirror and many people don’t like it. When a person has a filthy mind and even accepts the greeting in a wrong way. But does this mean you shouldn’t say that? It is not important. A person should be able to get rid of that style.

-What kind of crisis do you see in our country? What are we lacking in?

-We are afraid. There are two ways. One is afraid and knows what he is afraid of. The other one is afraid but is making a theater performance. So you get to accept the truth either in a joyful way or ignore it. It is a pity but we are accepting the truth by suffering and by fear. Who would imagine 30 years ago that the Soviet Union would collapse but that’s life. All I am saying a person should live on the present.

-But what are you afraid of?

-But the people don’t wish to withstand. Yes, a part of them has money and quickly gets rich but others don’t have the chance to get rich. At that time, you realize that the wealth is not evenly shared. My understanding is that the wealth should be shared fairly and the ones who get more to go buy stuff from the rich ones. In general, I am speaking about the world when the president cannot go buy bread and people would ask whose president are you?

-Why are people deprived of thinking?

-It also comes from the fear. In general, if you want to live you have to be free and work instead of procrastinating and acting lazy. Sayat Nova, Komitas, Tchaikovsky don’t tell me what’s right what’s wrong. Vice versa, they are telling me that they have lived this way.

-Why do people more worship the material and shape then the essence and content?

-That is fashionable. If today you are eating sushi everywhere, Armenians also start eating sushi. Every person has his word in this life, but this saying should belong to them. For the global market it is necessary to say global things. The whole world does this. That is the reason why I came here to share my art. We completed the project with the band in Turkey as well. I have a different word because life doesn’t await you.

-And what is life and who is the human being?

-In general, these words (points to the hat – M.M.) lack in our reality. Today the managers of education, media, sport are very important. They have to be pure. If one of them is not clean the system doesn’t function.

-Now what is not clean in Armenia?

-Nobody is clean because there are a few people, who dictate their truth but it’s not good because others have their opinions too. And we are saying maybe what you are saying is true for you but not for many others. The hungry man with no hope is the most dangerous person.

-When we met at a press conference in Istanbul in 2011 you were very offended of the Armenian authorities. Why did you get offended? Is this discontent gone?

-You know, you are asking what the goal of our nation is and where we are going. OK, how many SUVs do you want to have and drive? I was saying back then that the important thing is the wealth of mind and not the pockets. Every time some microscopic eye is watching us. In general, there are opportunities but they don’t wish to work. And nobody is going to benefit from that. There is also another thing – offer a good service and the people will adore you. Today there is one conservatory, a few composers. Why don’t these guys have a room to go rehearse and launch concerts over the weekend at 500 AMD? Then they will collect this money, take it to recording studios and make CDs. Everyone had a saying.

 -So what is the saying of our nation?

-We should have a goal. This goal should speak about what we want to do. That’s why should prove to the world that this is a center of art and artists. We should prove that we are giving love and truth to the world.

-Recently you have said that we should accept April 24 as a holiday.

-Have you seen how I was singing in Turkey? I live but the one who dies are living with me. But I don’t like to bargain with April 24. Then what are you offering? Shall we bargain 100 years or 1000 years? What are you doing not to turn Yerevan into Armenia? Whenever we see cars on the streets we say you see this person got rich, etc.

-What have you lost in Turkey?

-I didn’t win anything in order to lose. I live based on the philosophy of mind and land of Anatolia. The name is not important for me. Where shall we take Kars? We should all have a goal and cannot just live only to drive a fancy SUV.

-So where should we go?

-I am going but I am not saying follow me. I only share with my thoughts. If all of us share our thoughts there will be a place for all of us to go. We should get rid of the thought that parties are different nations. Now is the time when everybody should unite and stand next to each other.

-Should there be revolution here?

-Yes, that’s a good thing. I am also changing the music. Why should I stop? We are a small country but a smart nation…

 By Marine Martirosyan