Last week’s statement issued by Pope Francis recognizing the Armenian genocide as the first 20th-century genocide caused a diplomatic outrage in Turkey. These news are worth focusing on for several reasons.
On the one hand, it shows how Pope Francis has used his position as Head of State and respected universal leader to address one of History’s most controversial issues, which still occur nowadays. Whatever issue the Pope tackles nowadays is constantly criticized, but he injects a heavy dose of gravitas in how he frames his statements.
The other point that remains an essential question in history-making is the issue of the narrative. How can an oppressed group appropriate its own history? How can it share it to the world’s attention? How can its plights be recognized? What legacy does this memory bring to descendants, 50 years or a century after such traumatic eras? 20th-century has grappled with these questions with great inequality.
As this article shows, History is more on the side of the oppressor or the winners, who are free to arrange history to suit their own narratives. History is in itself fabricated, as the ruling elites decide what makes history, pulling out the most valuable and empowering moments, while concealing the somber matters. Turkish textbooks have called the Armenian genocide a lie, overlooking the complex context to build an image of Turkey in the wake of its republic.
However, this narrative can be a burden to Turkey in the long run. Further deliberate refusal to openly discuss and explore this period doesn’t allow a country to heal its wounds with its past, nor does it make it look good to its border states, and to the EU, from which Turkey still works at being someday accepted as a state member. Further international exposure on the genocide thanks to intellectuals, artists (Canadian-Armenian Atom Egoyan, French music legend Charles Aznavour) and high-profile political and religious leaders, such as Pope Francis, put pressure on Ankara to come forward once and for all, while re-activating the debates.
For a country having to come forward with its darkest times is no easy task, and some Western countries still fail to undergo these processes. France still struggles with accepting colonialism’s legacy in today’s racial inequalities. But liberating once oppressed narratives have forced, in many cases, countries to reflect on traumatic era, leading for better education for younger generations.
Stephanie Foul
globalpd628 