Samizdat literature and freedom of speech: Lecture-discussion at YSU History Museum

YSU History Museum named after Professor Ludwig Gharibjanyan hosted journalist, poet, and public figure Tigran Paskevichyan, who delivered a lecture titled "The Era When Words Held Power and Worth". The event focused on Samizdat literature, which was secretly published in the USSR during the 1960s-1980s.

Tatevik Saroyan, the Director of YSU History Museum, referred to the events organized as part of the "The Role of Students in the Liberal Culture of Post-Soviet Armenia" project, including the public exhibition, and stated, "The exhibition, which focuses on liberalization, features Samizdat literature, publications from the Yerevan History Museum, and public notice posters from the Armenian Genocide Museum dating back to 1965. These posters emphasize the importance of recognizing the Armenian Genocide and call for a public march to the Armenian Genocide Memorial every year on April 24."

During the lecture, Tigran Paskevichyan's documentary "Making the Impossible Possible: In Search of a Prototype" was screened, followed by a discussion.

The film delves into Samizdat literature, press, and flyers produced underground in the USSR between the 1960s and 1980s. Samizdat, meaning "self-publishing", was a form of literature that deviated from the official ideologies of the USSR. It was printed and distributed covertly, outside the control and censorship of the government.

Speaking about the screening of his film at YSU History Museum, Tigran Paskevichyan noted, "The film was made in 2014, at a time when social networks were just beginning to become active and an integral part of our lives. There are many notable differences between the Internet and Samizdat. The purpose of this screening is to highlight that the prototype of today's Internet domain is Samizdat. The film was shot in Russia, as Samizdat was predominantly a Soviet phenomenon."

After the screening of the film, attendees asked the speaker questions they were interested in and received thorough answers.

The lecture was the final event in the "The Role of Students in the Liberal Culture of Post-Soviet Armenia" project, organized by YSU and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. However, the public exhibition at YSU History Museum will continue until March 20, 2025.