YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, NOYAN TAPAN. "Freedom brought by independence has mixed up many things, as a result of which many and many values have mixed up with each other and our culture is constantly sliding down." Translator, publicist Armen Hovhannisian expressed such an opinion at the September 26 discussion at the Hayeli (Mirror) club adding that the reason of this is that to descend is easier. "And if we try to go up again, this can be an impossible or extremely difficult ascent," he said. Another participant of the discussion, composer Ruben Hakhverdian said that we have a cultural confusion in the country: "They constantly mix up with each other the notions of "culture" and "show business." They are absolutely different things. Show business also includes boxing, the Club of the Joyful and Inventive and other events of the kind and culture is another kind of thing." In his words, it is too much to have 20-25 "stars" for such a small country as Armenia. "Most of them do not sing in Armenian, but bleat in English. While, the Armenian language is poetical and melodious." In Armen Hovhannisian's words, in the Soviet years the country's Ministry of Culture worked in a very regulated way. There was an exact control, but each cause was brought to the end without fail. "I do not think of returning to the previous social system. I just say what has been. There was a strong ideological pressure and in these years I have never thought of return," the publicist said. "I remember those times with disgust. They persecuted and did not accept me. In these years I was also pressed from the National Security Service. So, I do not want return of those times. We just should rightly use the independence and not vulgarize it," R.Hakhverdian emphasized.

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