Haytoug Talks

Join @theoudplayer Antranig Kzirian as he walks us through the Armenian-American history, cultural significance, evolution, of one of the most iconic Armenian instruments: the oud. Even better, stay tuned to listen to him play and sing for our hosts and Haytoug Talks podcast listeners. This is a great episode, listen and even watch on Spotify or Youtube!

In honor of International Women's Month and the launch of our special women-themed "Hayouhi" magazine, we sat down with an expert on the domestic violence law in Armenia. Lori Pirinjian is conducting her PhD at UCLA, focusing on the evolution of the domestic violence law and its impact on Armenian women. She's witnessed numerous court cases, volunteered with the Coalition to Stop Violence against Women, and conducted field work and interviews with key players in Armenia. Tune in to learn about the origins of the domestic violence law, its evolution, the cultural attitudes towards women, awareness efforts, impactful anecdotes, and how we can help protect Armenian women.

Part 2 of our How To Spend Your Summer in Armenia series! On today's episode, we dive into Youth Corps: a 6 week long summer day camp program hosted in villages throughout Armenia. During the program, participants live with a host family, strengthen ties with Armenian youth, and explore the homeland. Listen to Unger David share his life-changing experience and find out why you should sign up to be a counselor this summer! Applications close Sunday March 1st, 2026!

Part 1 of our How to Spend Your Summer in Armenia series! First up is Birthright Armenia: an immersive volunteer program that brings in diasporan Armenians from all around the globe to work, explore, and bond in the homeland. Learn all about the incredible experience from two recent participants, Ungers Greg and Hovig.

The wait is finally over! Welcome back to a brand new season of Haytoug Talks, the official podcast of the AYF West. Your new cohosts Hovig and Araxi are excited to usher in a new era of casual, fun episodes alongside the classic Haytoug-style collection of Armenian experts and fascinating topics. Best of all, you can check out our Instagram @haytougtalks for video clips of each episode hosted in our brand new studio!

In our final episode of our second Artsakh Series, we once again speak with our fellow AYF Alum, Artsakh Repat, and Founder of the Lorik Humanitarian Fund, Shant Charshafjian, where we reflect on the resilience of a people displaced but not defeated. Shant, like so many others, shares in this struggle of our displaced people—not just for his family, but for his community, for our people, for our Artsakh. In the face of unimaginable loss, he walks alongside the Artsakhtsis, helping them rebuild their lives in Armenia while holding on to the hope of one day returning home. This is not a story of heroes, but of collective resistance and unyielding determination. As we mark a year since the fall of Artsakh, we are reminded that this struggle is far from over. Together, we stand resilient, ready to continue the fight for justice, for memory, and for our Artsakh.

In this powerful episode, we sit down with Edgar Elbakyan, a political scientist and social thinker based in Yerevan. He is a co-founder of the 'Armenian Project', a non-profit organization which contributes to enhancing Armenian national civil society. Together we explore the deep-rooted challenges facing Armenia today. As we unravel the concept of 'learned helplessness' and its societal impact, Edgar shares thought-provoking insights on reclaiming agency, fostering national resilience, and overcoming defeatist narratives. Together, we discuss how Armenians can break free from these mental chains, drawing strength from their history and identity to shape a stronger future for our Nation.

For small nations like ours, positioned between East and West, the media's role in our geopolitics can be a powerful force that many may overlook. These countries often become arenas for competing narratives, where major powers use media to sway opinions and justify their actions. This can distort the nation’s reality, marginalizing voices like those of Artsakh and making it harder to gain authentic support. In this episode, we discuss the importance of media narratives, funding, and literacy with AYF alum Dickran Khodanian, an independent journalist who's been on the ground in Armenia and Artsakh, witnessing the unfolding events firsthand.

Welcome to the second episode of our second Artsakh series, where we continue our critical conversation on the challenges facing Armenians today. In this episode, we reconnect with Alex Galitsky, who’s transitioned from ANC Western Region to ANC DC since our last discussion during the 2020 war. We'll dive into the complexities of advocacy work in Washington, D.C., the uphill battle against geopolitical interests, and the tireless efforts to support Artsakh and its people. Stay tuned as we explore the strategies, frustrations, and hope that drive this ongoing struggle. To learn more about the ANCA and their ongoing projects and programs, check out their site in our linktree. And make sure to follow them on social media to stay informed and engaged for the latest updates and ways to get involved in supporting Artsakh.

Part 1 of our second series on Artsakh features Gev Iskajyan, ANCA's National Grassroots Director and former Director of ANC Artsakh. Gev, who lived through the blockade and the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh’s Armenian population, shares his firsthand experiences of these tragic events. In this episode, we explore the resilience of the Armenian people, the challenges they’ve faced, and the ongoing struggle for justice.

How many diasporans have repatriated to Artsakh since the war in 2020? The answer is not many, but we intend to share with you the stories of some of the few that have. - Shant Charshafjian moved with his family to Martuni, Artsakh, building community and working on various development projects; Blue Kalamian documented the aftermath of the war in 2020 in a film called “Dust Never Settled”, prompting his repatriation to the homeland; Hagop Ipdjian help found Artsakh Support Body, and now lives in Stepanakert, Artsakh working for the State Minister Artak Beglaryan as his Humanitarian Aid Advisor; Gev Iskajyan lives in Stepanakert, Artsakh representing the Armenian National Committee of Artsakh office. To check out their work follow the link here: https://HaytougTalks.contactin.bio. If you are interested in connecting with any of them personally, feel free to reach out to Haytoug Talks on social media. - Transition Music: Legend of the Mountains by Armen Ghazarian

Armenian wine played a foundational role in the history of wine. Since ancient days Armenia has been famous for its wine-making traditions which are still kept in practice to this day. The fertile valleys of the South Caucasus, which Armenia finds itself in, are believed by many archaeologists to be the source of the world's first cultivated grapevines and neolithic wine production. Greg Nemet, an Armenian-American winemaker at Kareen Wine shares with us the story of Armenia’s winemaking origins, and its journey to the modern age. We discuss the blossoming Armenian wine industry in the Republic of Armenia, and the potential it holds to rival the iconic wines of the world. 

If you speak Western Armenian, you most likely speak the standardized Western Armenian language. This was not the case for the majority of Western Armenian history, as the process for creating a universally spoken and written Western Armenian for all Armenians in the Ottoman Empire only began to develop between the 18-19th centuries. In the final part of our Western Armenia series, we discuss with Jennifer Manoukian, a doctoral student in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at UCLA; who, why, and how Standard Western Armenian was made.

Hampig Sassounian was one of those who participated in a movement of targeted violence towards the Turkish state in the 70s & 80s; whose actions in Los Angeles made his name widely known in our community, and the greater diaspora. Resulting in him facing nearly a 40 year sentence in a California state prison. We wanted to get to know Hampig and to learn about his story and his plans moving forward, who after prison has now moved to Armenia, to start his life anew in the homeland.

We ask 5 Los Angeles based Armenian-American artists what their favorite Armenian song is. - Tro Krikorian Lara Sarkissian Darone Sassounian Krista Marina Raffi Semerdjian

While traveling through Anatolia, a travel blogger who goes by Avara, stumbles upon the surviving legacy of the Armenian civilization. His curiosity quickly became fascination, as it led him to return and explore the ruins of Western Armenia a number of times since. Over the past few years, he has been documenting and sharing with the world through social media the remnants of our physical heritage, and the people he met along the way. In Part 3 of our Western Armenia Series, we interview Avara, to learn about his experience, and to hear about our lost homeland through the lens of an “Odar” (Non-Armenian).

One of the first things one will notice when visiting the Republic of Armenia, are the abundant amount of stray dogs. For Armenian-Americans, who come from a society where pets are basically worshiped, it is odd to experience a cultural attitude towards dogs that does not obsess over “man’s best friend”. Taking care of the stray dog population has been a challenge for a developing country like Armenia. Having an overwhelming stray population is not just an issue for the dogs themselves however, but is also a public health issue. Nairi Krafian, a specialist in animal science and biopsychology, founded an organization called Oknooshoon in 2017, which is the first initiative in the country to introduce therapy dogs to the Republic. The goal of which is to help shape a new understanding of what dogs have to offer the people, by training stray dogs for Canine Assisted Intervention (CAI) to assist vulnerable populations. Listen to our latest episode, where we discuss with Nairi all about the dogs of Armenia, and Oknooshoon’s challenges and hopes in redefining the perception and value of dogs in Armenian culture and society.

Science was supposed to be Armenia’s strength, its competitive advantage; a reputation that was inherited from its days in the Soviet Union. Today, we often hear Armenia regarded as the “Silicon Valley of the Caucasus”, as IT begins to develop rapidly in this small post-soviet state. However, while discussing with Tigran Shahverdyan, a scientist who specializes in autonomous systems, space exploration and robotics, about the current state of science and tech and all its dimensions, we gain a much needed perspective and update on the reality of these industries in Armenia. Learn about what Armenians need to do as a country and diaspora in today’s episode in regards to science and technology, and how they can contribute to a successful and sovereign Armenia.

Faith, power, and the relationship between church and identity. In the second part of our Western Armenia Series, we sit down with Daniel Ohanian, PhD candidate at UCLA. We explore the encounters between Western Armenians and Catholicism at the turn of the 18th century, discussing how and why some Armenians became Catholic and the reactions they received for doing so. Along the way, we meet two notable men: Abbot Mkhitar of Sepastia, who had a profound impact on Western Armenian identity up until today, and Avedik Vartabed of Tokat, who spent five years as a prisoner in France.

Get to know one of the Diaspora's greatest comedy entertainers, Arman Margarian, better known by his stage name, "Antic". His satirical works and comedic stand-up successfully brought the Armenian-Diaspora, and introduced to the broader public our rich Armenian sense of humor. We learn all about Arman's life and how, along with the introduction of social media, Armenian comedy reached a whole new market and generation as he became one of our community's earliest viral sensations.