Of Sound & Mind
From discovering love in inherited trauma to the quiet art of navigating Yerevan’s sidewalks, from a sound keeper at public radio to a boba tea shop opened by a newcomer from China, and reflections on how Armenians listen to radio today, this month’s SALT traces an evolving society in the spaces between image and reality, past and present.
Cover photo by Roubina Margossian.
From family kitchens to Yerevan’s cafe culture, coffee has shaped Armenian daily life for generations. Blending personal memory with social history, Tamara Khachatryan traces how “soorj” became ritual, identity and one of the country’s most enduring shared pleasures.
A boba tea shop brings contemporary China to Yerevan through careful branding, cultural translation and taste. Its owner, a Chinese emigre, came looking for a good vibe and kind people; in return, she created a space that sits between cafe and experiment, showcasing how unfamiliar flavors, ideas and places can be introduced thoughtfully and unexpectedly.
For more than fifty years, Ruzan Saryan has guarded Armenia’s sound memory inside the archives of Public Radio. Through wars, political change and fading technologies, this intimate portrait follows the woman who preserved the voices of a nation.
A sharp, darkly funny walk through Yerevan from curb level, where crossing the street can feel like a survival sport. Through near-misses, chaos and observation, Lori Youmshajekian explores road culture, impatience and the daily vulnerability of pedestrians.
Every April 24, we focus so much on the inherited trauma and pain related to it, that we overlook the love woven through our stories. Can grief alone sustain us or do we need new rituals of gratitude, connection and renewal? What about the ethical responsibility of recognizing the suffering of others? Blending reflection with conversations with psychologists, artists and thinkers, Ella Kanagerian-Berberian searches for her own answers.
EVN Report’s mission is to empower Armenia, inspire the diaspora and inform the world through sound, credible and fact-based reporting and commentary. Our goal is to increase public trust in the media. EVN Report is the media arm of EVN News Foundation registered in the Republic of Armenia in 2017.
