Sarigyugh is a border village, 2 kilometers from the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Although Sarigyugh is a settlement with development potential and resources, the village still has many problems today, among which the dilapidated and dilapidated culture house is a worrying and problematic one. It was put into operation in 1984, and since 2007 it has already ceased its activities. The culture house has long been the center of cultural life for the residents of Sarigyugh and neighboring villages. Even today, the older generation of the village fondly remembers how the culture house once hosted distinguished artists and cultural figures of Armenia under its roof, what crowded events were held in the village. They could be compared only with events organized in the capital. The villagers proudly note that although the regional center was Ijevan, the pulse of cultural life ran through their village. everyone came to Sarigyugh to see and feel the incredible power of culture with their own eyes. Tavush Media followed the traces of the looting that turned the Sarigyugh Culture House into ruins in 2021. We had information that a fundraiser had been held, as well as that local self-government bodies had intervened.
Even today, the doors of the Culture House, which once had a vibrant and rich past, are not closed, but not because the cultural life is as vibrant as before, and there are queues of spectators at the entrance, but because the doors and windows of the building, as well as all the property, have been destroyed, disappeared, and only the rare preserved paintings on the moss-covered and half-ruined walls remind us of the building’s former splendor and glory. Moreover, if this continues and is partially evacuated and relocated, the building may be classified as a structure with an emergency status. Previously, a series of events were launched under the title “Sari FEST” to raise funds for the renovation of the Sarigyugh Culture House. The initiators hoped to raise the necessary funds for the renovation of the building through investors, donations, and former residents of the village living outside. Having learned about this, Tavush TV addressed the issue of the Sarigyugh Culture House back in early 2022, after which the attention of the community and related structures was directed to the speedy resolution of the issue. An active community initiative group was formed with the participation of the population. The group’s goal was to find solutions to the problem in cooperation with local authorities and other interested and concerned structures.
The Ijevan Civic Youth Center, as a community coalition and an organization implementing advocacy campaigns, began to study the issue and created a platform for dialogue between the population and local self-government bodies. Through the efforts of the initiative group and the community authorities, some renovation work was carried out in 2022: the roof of the building was covered, which could temporarily save the building from final collapse. However, the issue of installing gutters is still open, and therefore, rainwater poses a great risk to the building as before.
The young people of the village form an idea of the rich cultural past of the village only through the stories of their elders, but at the same time they cherish the hope that one day they will see beautiful events on the stage of their village’s cultural center and be proud of their village like the elders. And until then, the young people arrive from Sarigyugh to Ijevan every day to attend music, dance and a number of other group classes, and to participate in occasional concert events.
There is hope in Sarigyugh, some are sure that the problem will be solved very soon, the residents are willing to save the culture of their village, and they also assure that they will have a cultural Sarigyugh. Tavush Media also expresses confidence that it will keep the problems of this cultural center and many other problems in need of solution in the focus of its attention.
