Epress.am News from Armenia
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Women’s Resource Center of Armenia (WRCA) has launched a blog as part of its campaign to mark women’s month (Mar. 8 to Apr. 7).
The project, titled “30 Women, 30 Days,” will include one blog post a day on an an outstanding woman who has played an important role in Armenian society, culture, politics, science and other areas.
Today’s post is about Diana Abgar, Armenia’s first female ambassador in the east.
Abgar [whose real name was Anahit Aghabek (Aghabekyan)] was born in 1859 in Burma of Armenian parents from Persia (Iran) and grew up in India. In 1889, she married a Hong Kong merchant Mickael Abgar and moved to Japan where she started her literature career. After the death of her husband in 1906, she went to Yokohama with her children. In 1919, she was appointed consul general of the Republic of Armenia in Japan and became the first female ambassador in the east to occupy a diplomatic position. Abgar wrote books, editorials and appeals for her country in several languages and during the Armenian Genocide, she helped a number of Armenian refugees, who through Siberia and Japan were moving to the USA. Abgar died in 1937 in Yokohama.
The WRCA has planned other events as part of the campaign, which includes a walk at 4 pm today titled “You deserve to be happy.” The walk will begin from the Women’s Resource Center on Teryan 62 and end at the Swan lake, near the Opera.
“During the march, activists will distribute paper flowers to women with empowering messages to remind them about their achievements and rights in society,” reads the notice on the WRCA’s website.