A storied song about Artsakh gets new life 24 years later

By Asbarez | Wednesday, 27 April 2016

During the battle to liberate Martakert in the 1990’s, an unknown soldier spontaneously performs a song dedicated to the heroic soldiers of Artsakh. This song becomes an anthem at the time, but soon disappears and is forgotten.

Fast forward to a year ago, when Sebo Avedian and his friends, who are in a band called Wednesday Call stumbled on the song—“Fedayis of Artsakh”—when they were visiting Artsakh as tourists from Iran.

The song’s catchy lyrics and music impressed the musicians who set out on a quest to find the elusive soldier who composed the song that became an inspiration for his fellow soldiers two decades before.

Thanks to some clever sleuthing on the Internet, Avedian found the soldier’s grandson, Eric Manukyan, who then led him to his grandfather, Stanislav Manukyan, who now lives in Tbilisi. Avedian asked Eric to get his grandfather, who is in his 60s, to perform the song.

Wednesday Call used the new version to produce a video commemorating the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and to dedicate it to the heroic soldiers of Artsakh, who are defending our homeland in Martakert, Artsakh.

With a new life, “Fedayis of Artsakh” can become an anthem for a new generation of Artsakh soldiers and an ode to the heroism of the people of Artsakh.

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