Second ‘Innovate Armenia’ will explore identity through speakers, music and cuisine

Rober Koptas’ grandparents survived the Armenian Genocide in 1915, and he is one of about 100,000 people living in Turkey who identify as Armenian. But according to Koptas, the Armenian community in his country is symbolic of something far greater than its size.

“If the Armenians of Turkey are living in a positive environment, that shows that Turkey is becoming more democratic,” said Koptas, editor-in-chief of Aras Publishing House, a company that introduces Armenian-related literature to a Turkish-reading audience. “If Armenians face discrimination, that shows that Turkey is not progressing. All around the world people are looking to the Armenian community there as a good clue to understanding the political climate in Turkey.”

Koptas is one of several speakers who will describe their experiences as individuals with hyphenated identities — that is, people with two or more identities — during Innovate Armenia, an all-day event on USC’s University Park campus. Organized by the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies (IAS), the event will celebrate the convergence of heritage and innovation on April 2 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Bei-Ru will perform at Innovate Armenia on April 2.

“Innovate Armenia is a great convener,” said Salpi Ghazarian, director of IAS. “It brings together those who know and those who care to drive a new kind of conversation about the Armenian world.”

In addition to Koptas, headline speakers include James Cuno, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, and David Yan, founder and director of international software company ABBYY, together with the head of Armenia’s National Library. Serj Tankian, lead singer of the band System of a Down, will be among the guests.

Musicians include the Armenian-American band Element, the French-Armenian band Collectif Medz Bazar, saxophonist Armen Hyusnunts, who is the head of Armenia’s National Jazz Orchestra, the unique folk music of Bei Ru, and an Armenian trio of teens who are traveling to the United States for their first overseas performance.

While the event focuses on Armenian culture, this year it will delve more deeply into the nuances of a hyphenated identity — including people who identify as Korean-American or Cuban-American, among many others.

Collectif Medz-Bazar is a Parisian-Armenian band making its second appearance at Innovate Armenia.

Eclectic and creative cuisine — much of which will also represent hyphenated identities by fusing foods of different cultures — will be available throughout the day.

The Los Angeles area has one of the largest Armenian populations worldwide, and IAS serves as a multidisciplinary center of learning that connects the Armenian and academic communities.

“We believe the Institute has a huge role to play in making scholarship available and accessible so that educators, leaders and policymakers — in the communities or in the Republic of Armenia — benefit from the research and analysis of the academic community,” Ghazarian said.

“The purpose of ‘Innovate’ is to make complex issues of identity and policy accessible and fun, in an environment of like-minded people wanting to explore, redefine and shape their own futures.”