2.7 Million Dram Allocated from the Budget for 'HuZANK and Zang' Performance

On November 2, 2019, the application for the 'HuZANK and Zang' performance was submitted to the specialized commission created for grants this July, according to the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports.

“The commission allocated 2.7 million drams from the 2019 annual budget for competitive grants for this project (including all taxes and duties) as an experimental program, which was to present poetry in a modern reading format (including works by Yeghishe Charents, Azat Vshtuni, Gevorg Abov, etc.), as stated in the contract signed with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia.

This grant constitutes 0.3% of the 903 million dram annual budget for 2019. Whether the expectations of the professional commission regarding the performance are justified will be known when the organizers present the non-financial and financial results as mandated. However, it is emphasized that the various accusations directed at the ministry in connection with this production are unacceptable and are viewed as manifestations of opportunistic management of public opinion,” the clarification released by the ministry states.

It is noteworthy that during the 'HuZANK and Zang' performance near the Republic Square metro station, a scuffle occurred. A young man named Narek Sargsyan attempted to pour “zelyonka” (a green dye) on the participants, claiming they were Satanists. “There will be no Satanic phenomenon in my country. I will fight it, no matter how much you detain me. I am going to pour zelyonka on them,” he said.

Following the incident, Narek Sargsyan was taken into custody.