The Immigrant Memories of Brantford project returns September 28 and 29 with a look at Brantford’s Armenian community.
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The project is a partnership of the Brantford Historical Society, Canadian Industrial Heritage Centre, Laurier Brantford, and Brant Theater Workshops. Each year, representatives from each organization form a committee to research and share the heritage of an ethnic community important to the fabric of the city.
“The Armenian community was attracted here for a number of reasons, but mainly because of the factories,” said Peter Muir, artistic director at Brant Theater Workshops. “They worked hard and sent their kids to universities, but the kids often just didn’t come back. They found more opportunity in a large center like Toronto.”
Muir said with the collapse of major manufacturers in the 1980s, many Armenian families left Brantford for large population centers.
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Immigrant Memories of Brantford – The Armenian Community kicks off at 1:30 pm on Saturday, September 28 with the opening of an exhibit at the Brant Museum on Charlotte Street.
Curated by Dr. Christina Han, professor of history at Laurier Brantford, the exhibit features many items not seen before and includes the story of Titanic survivor Neshan Krekorian.
At the age of 25, Krekorian fled Armenia in 1912 due to political and religious strife and made his way to France where he booked third-class passage on the Titanic. He was heading to Brantford where a small Armenian community had formed.
In the chaos of the ocean liner’s sinking, Krekorian managed to jump into a lifeboat and was rescued along with other survivors by the trans-Atlantic passenger steamship Carpathia.
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He spent four days being treated for pneumonia in a New York City hospital before making his way to Brantford where he lived for six years before moving to St. Catharines.
Brian Moore of the Brant Historical Society will conduct a walking tour of the downtown area where many Armenians lived due to its proximity to factories where they worked.
At 2 pm on both days Brant Theater Workshops presents an original play called Forget Me Not, named after Armenia’s national flower.
Developed through interviews with members of the Armenian community, the play focuses on the ghost of a young Armenian Canadian who died in the Great War.
“He’s quite a funny ghost and haunts a group of people who get together to discover their Armenian roots,” Muir shared. “He’s a central part of that discovery. He possesses different people and shows different scenes. It’s kind of fun.”
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An authentic Armenian buffet meal prepared by ARZ Cafe in Mississauga will be served at 5 pm in the Laurier Academic Center lobby at a cost of $30. All other Immigrant Memories activities throughout the weekend are free of charge.
The Hamazkayin Erepuni Dance Ensemble will be performing along with the Hamazkayin Kousan Choir – both from the Armenian Cultural Center in Toronto — at 7 pm on Sept. 28 in the Stephen Kun Theater at the Laurier Academic Centre, 150 Dalhousie Street.
Muir was excited to share that the Immigrant Memories project is now on the shortlist for a Governor-General’s Award for Excellence in Community Program.
“We really don’t expect any recognition, so this is very interesting,” Muir shared. “We do it because we know it’s really important work. It’s the people who live in Brantford and contribute to Brantford. Every time we do this people are educated and there’s less prejudice in the world because of it.”
To register your attendance or watch video interviews of Armenian community members visit branttheatre.com/memoires.
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