Norayr Yerznkyan joined the British Council team as a projects coordinator back in 2012. Since 2014, he was the coordinator of IDEAS: Inclusive Decisions for Equal and Accountable Society project. The project sought to strengthen the role and capacity of disability-focused non-governmental organisations to work with local government in local decision-making processes and in monitoring the promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities.

Norayr Yerznkyan is also the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Country Coordinator. Due to the work of his team, the British Council Armenia received a Diversity Award in Innovation launched globally by the British Council.

About the Programme activities that are planned in Armenia this year

2016 is planned to be an interesting year full of project highlights. We have already hosted a range of events that have generated a lot of interest among our stakeholders.

In April, in cooperation with the National Centre for Culture Poland, we organised a study tour to Poland, during which two Armenian organisations engaged in the cultural sector visited several cities and discussed partnership opportunities.

In May, we are planning a series of events on the UNESCO Culture for Development Indicators, sessions for the professionals engaged in creative sectors, including training courses addressing cultural leadership and project cycle management, as well as Creative Europe workshop.

This is just the start of our work and the year will bless us with a range of interesting initiatives in art and cultural sectors in Armenia.

About the role of culture in society

In the 21st century, it seems hard to define culture with one sentence. Culture is diverse, versatile and inclusive. Everyone can have access to it and in our age, everyone is entitled to creative work and can produce their own art. Culture has turned into a way of voicing protests, signaling social changes and expressing beauty.

In this context, the project has gained much worth and significance. I am convinced that promoting cultural and creative sectors will lead to a steady increase in the economy. I believe that in the globalised world, everything should target achieving mutual understanding and cognition and culture will be used as a tool for uniting societies.

We can also see an increasing interest in the national culture in all countries. It is important that the people engaged in creative work integrate elements of national culture in their art and at the same time keep track of the global trends to build their own image.

5 main cultural events in Armenia

Armenia enjoys a rich and versatile cultural life. However, considering the international recognition and scale of such events, I would like to highlight the following: 

• Golden Apricot International Film Festival

• High Fest International Performing Arts Festival

• Yerevan Perspectives International Music Festival

• Literary Ark International Festival

• Aram Khachaturian International Competition