Անի Գալայճեան Օպամայի Մեծ Մօր Հետ

Սիրելի Ընթերցող,

Տոքթ. Անի Գալայճեան «Նշանակ» ի աշխատակից է եւ զայն քաջալերողներէն մին: Ասկէ առաջ կայքէջին մէջ անդրադարձած ենք իր արժէքին ու վաստակաշատ բարեգործական իր աշխատանքին , ի միջի այլոց Հայիթիի մէջ ՝ մի քանի ամիս առաջ: Տոքթ. Գալայճեան առիթ ձեռքէ դուրս չի տար բնաւ իր միջազգային ելոյթներուն ընթացքին անդրադառնալու հայկական ցեղասպանութեան եւ զուգահեռներ քաշելու : Անգլերէնով հրապարակուած այս հաղորդագրութեան մէջ Տիկին Գալայճեան ամենայն պարզութեամբ եւ իրեն յատուկ ոճով անգամ մը եւս կը կուտայ տուրք իր ազգին դատին: Աշխարհի չորս դին ընկճուածներուն նեցուկ հանդիսանալու համար գեր գնահատելի աշխատանք կը տանի այս աննման հայուհին , հպարտանք պատճառելով ոչ միայն միջին հայուն այլ նաեւ միջին մարդ արարածին:

«Նշանակ»

«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«.«Humanitarian Outreach to Kenya, Day Five: Meeting Obama’s Grandmother
Sept 1, 2010
By Dr. Ani Kalayjian

Today I am in Kunya. I awoke from several confusing dreams. I try to recall and share my dreams each morning and learn something about the inner workings of my emotional world, mind, and heart.
In my dream I saw my grandmother, who left this material world long ago. I guess since today we will be meeting Grandma Obama, our president’s grandmother, that’s the reason I dreamed of my grandmother. She was very strong and beautiful, and she held the family together. Grandmothers know how to hold the space for all the family—they are the anchor of the families and clans. Especially having survived the Ottoman Turkish Genocide, she helped knit the family into a tight social network with her unique matriarchal management style.
We had planned to leave at 8 A.M. sharp… Now this is Kenyan time, which I am sure you have realized is the same in every country. This being-late phenomenon is a contagious one; of course in Mexico it’s Mexican time, in Armenia it’s Armenian time, in Sierra Leone naturally it’s Sierra Leonean time. We all rushed to make it to the main hut by 7:30. Then we had to wait for our driver, Omolo, who is also the nephew of our host, Joyce Oneko, to return from fishing in Lake Victoria (which is the second-largest freshwater lake in the whole world). It is customary here in Kenya to bring fresh fish to the house you are visiting, to share the abundance. Of course we wanted to take the fish to Grandma Obama to share the abundance!
On the way to Kogelo, we stopped to meet with George, the director of the sewing school, where we contributed to the students’ experience by asking them to prepare our traditional Kenyan outfits. So we got our measurements taken and chose the fabric and the styles, and our Humanitarian Team agreed to pick up the garments the following day.
The roads that connect villages are usually bumpy and unpaved—indeed it was no ordinary ride. We were shaking up and down all the way to Kogelo, while the two fish hung from our driver’s side mirror (which provided natural refrigeration). In the beginning we were given a hard time while trying to enter Obama’s complex because we didn’t bring our passports, so we had to look for other forms of identification. Thank goodness we soon found some other forms of ID and we were granted entry to the compound. The house was a simple structure, with two graves on the left side of it; one is for Obama’s father and the other is for his uncle. After waiting for about 10 minutes, Dr. Sara Obama (she was given an honorary doctorate from University of Kenya) came out in her traditional Kenyan clothes and headscarf. This 88-year-old vibrant smiling woman with cute dimples on both cheeks greeted us with “El Salam ou Aleykum” (“May peace be upon you,” in Arabic), “Karibu” (“Welcome,” in Swahili) and “Jambo” (“Hello” in Swahili). She mentioned she’d been taking a nap since she felt tired because she is fasting for Ramadan, the Islamic holy days. She also shared that she was busy the day before, meeting with ministers and government officials. One of her basic goals and dreams is to educate the girl child; she in fact feeds and helps more than 12 female orphans, who are unable to afford education.
Joyce will do an in depth interview with Mrs. Obama in a few weeks, as she is writing a book on the oral traditions passed on generationally through older/wise women, grandmothers of the village. Mrs. Obama was talking a mile a minute and we were all gathered around paying close attention to every word she uttered. Of course we didn’t understand much of it, and we were grateful to Joyce for translating for us. We asked the questions in English—Mrs. Obama could understand a little. I wanted to know how her life had changed since her son, Barak, became the President of the United States, and she said very humbly, “I get to meet people like you, who are coming from all walks of life—people I would not have had the chance to meet otherwise.”
We numbered about 10 in our Humanitarian Team and there was so much to ask, as we were wondering about the circumstances of her childhood, among other experiences. When I asked about how best to deal with the issue of illiteracy, especially with regard to the girl child, and how to overcome the male oppression of women stemming from male insecurity and role confusion, her response was, “Only with education can we overcome all these restrictions.” I totally agree; in fact, that is one of the goals of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and that is our goal in WNGE (Worldwide Network for Gender Empowerment). We actually have less than five years left to meet the eight goals set forth by the MDGs. These goals have been signed by all governments and are to be completed by 2015.
Right in the backyard, just a few feet away from where we were sitting and visiting with Mrs. Obama, lay President Obama’s father’s grave.
Last year on Father’s Day, President Obama said that he grew up without a father in his life. “My father left my family when I was 2 years old, and I knew him mainly from the letters he wrote and the stories my family told. And while I was lucky to have two wonderful grandparents (maternal) who poured everything they had into helping my mother raise my sister and me, I still felt the weight of his absence throughout my childhood.
“In many ways, I came to understand the importance of fatherhood through its absence—both in my life and in the lives of others. I came to understand that the hole a man leaves when he abandons his responsibility to his children is one that no government can fill. What makes you a man is not the ability to have a child, but the courage to raise one.” I was remembering these words while looking at the grave, talking with Mrs. Obama and wondering about the circumstances that separated little Barak from his father. Here is a man who, despite his separation from his father—at such a young age—was able to overcome the difficulties and become the President of United States of America. Most admirably, he is committed to changing the generational pattern and staying involved and present in his children’s life. I remember how I felt when Barak Obama was elected to be our president. In fact, I recall writing to my friends at that time with exhilaration: “I am so excited—this is like having an Armenian person getting elected to be President of Turkey.” (Armenians are members of a minority group that’s been oppressed for hundreds of years under the Ottoman Empire, and they are still oppressed today...)
I was wondering about the circumstances of Obama’s separation from his father. I wondered if the elder Obama were homesick because he lived in Hawaii. And since he lived in America during the mid-’60s, did he face a lot of discrimination due to his wife being a white woman? I remember being exposed to that when I visited my Nigerian friend at his college in Tyler, Texas, in the late ’70s, where I was subjected to harassment because I was walking with an African man. Did Obama Sr. face discrimination and feel humiliated in front of his wife and family? Did he face religious discrimination or Islamophobia? Was it an interpersonal relationship issue with his wife or a difference in values? Or could it be because he was a polygamist who wanted to take another wife? I was gazing at the grave as dozens of questions went through my head when I saw that my team had already started to say good-bye to Mama Obama.
We hugged and kissed each other on both cheeks (just like we do in my Armenian family and the culture at large) and expressed our gratitude. I also gave Mama Obama my newly published CD from War to Peace: Transforming Generational Trauma into Healing, which is an ancestral healing meditation.
Although at first we were told we were not allowed to take photos, after talking with one another and establishing trust and connection, Mama Obama gave us permission and we took plenty of photos, which was priceless.
They had a gift shop on the premises, too, so we bought some souvenirs for the WNGE family members as well as for my other family members. Our humanitarian outreach was intended to establish partnerships for HIV education, training on solar cooking, education in oral hygiene, as well as training on EQ (Emotional Quotient), SQ (Spiritual Quotient), and mindfulness. Hundreds of rural people participated in and benefited from the programs. Lifetime partnerships were nurtured, and they’re sure to be developed in the coming months and years.





This mission was organized by Mama na Dada of Kenya and its staff, with Director Joyce Oneko, who is also a Board Member of WNGE. It was sponsored by the Worldwide Network for Gender Empowerment of Fielding Graduate University (www.fielding.edu), Full Circle Living (www.mamanadada.org), and ATOP of Meaningful World (www.meaningfulworld.com) contributed with donations of goods. To contact the author to send comments or questions, kindly e-mail DrAniKalayjian@gmail.com.




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