vanadzor

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Kiki cooking at Sajj Terouh Setté. Photo: Hranush Mashakaryan/OC Media

Armenia

Creating a piece of Lebanon in northern Armenia

by Paul Vartan Sookiasian

•6 min read

After a move that neither of them could have anticipated, two friends from Lebanon ended up bringing a little piece of home to northern Armenia. ‘It was a crazy idea’, admits Christiane ‘Kiki’ Saadeh. In 2020, Kiki Saadeh and Natalie Khalife were living in Lebanon and had just lost their jobs in hospitality, a result of a financial crisis compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and Beirut port explosion. Despite their deep devotion to Lebanon, or perhaps because of it, the two friends felt the

Armenia

Voice | ‘Our families are as holy as yours’ — stories of acceptance

by OC Media

•10 min read

Despite widespread homophobic attitudes throughout the Caucasus, there are some queer people who find acceptance for who they are — from their co-workers, their friends, and their families. Below are the stories of three queer people, from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Drago — a stage pseudonym — is a 17-year-old boy from Rustavi, Georgia. He is a make-up artist, a fashion model, and a drag performer. Everywhere he walks, he gets unapologetic looks — openly wearing women’s attire, with