Country of Dust
A lot has been happening in Armenia: war, immigration, shifting alliances, a rising economy, and so much more. Country of Dust tells the stories of the people who are living through this important, in-between moment in Armenia’s history. We capture the odd, inspiring and perplexing ways in which Armenia keeps going, despite the odds.
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- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 27 minutes
- Episodes
- 18
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2025
The Last Tonir
For our last episode of this season, we visit Vahandukht Melkonyan, the last resident of Kharkov – a village in the buffer zone between Armenia and Turkey. At 88, she lives alone here and spends her …
Rising Like a Phoenix
Walk into the right basement on a Friday night, and you’ll see something that doesn’t happen anywhere else in Armenia - a drag show. Gigi Aries is a drag queen, and she and her friends have been busy…
When Home Stops Being Safe
We first did an episode with Gayane Milonyan in 2023 - the day after she and her family were forced to flee Artsakh. But we wanted to talk with her again, to better understand her life in Artsakh and…
I Know How to Treat My Country
Growing up, Nane Harutyunyan would never have touched a rifle. But after Armenia was defeated in the 2020 war, she felt like she had to be prepared to defend her country.
Homecoming
Hasmik Varderesyan was born in Armenia, but moved to Turkey when she was two years old. Now she’s a teenager, she's moving back, and she's on TikTok. But is Armenia ready to welcome her home?
The Underground School
Underneath an Armenian church in Istanbul, there’s a school that isn’t like any other. It’s a little slice of home for a group of migrant families from Armenia – a minority within a minority.
Daughter of the Crying Man
This episode has a special companion video.
An unexpected VHS in a Toronto basement leads to finding a branch of the family that has been lost for 60 years, and uncovering the last Armenian village s…
Bonus Episode: Something to do With Armenia
Our podcast tells the stories of how Armenia is changing, but in this episode, we sat down to talk about how Armenia has changed each of us.
Plus we have an announcement: We just launched a crowdfundi…
Special Episode: My Land Feels so Sweet, but it’s Thirsty for Blood
Gayane Milonyan, a mother of two, has just been forced to flee her home in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), along with over 100,000 people – the entire indigenous Armenian population left in the region af…
These Bottles Have a Story
Wine has been part of Armenia’s story since the beginning, and it can be a bridge from its ancient history, to the Soviet era, to today. In our final episode of the season, we talk to Mariam Saghatel…
Barev Dzez, Barev Dzez
After the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, Armenia woke up with thousands of Russians moving here – escaping the draft, political crackdowns and economic uncertainty. Many of them were young creatives,…
I’m Just a Designer
Ara Aslanyan designed one of the most iconic symbols of Armenia’s 2018 revolution - the dukhov hat. But he says he never cared about the movement, that he only wanted to make a successful design. Whe…
I Want to Believe
Mane Gevorgyan was Nikol Pashinyan’s press secretary during the most turbulent period of his premiership. She entered as part of a rockstar government, but after the war, she had to deal with all the…
We Shall Prevail
The nation’s hopes rose with the 2018 Velvet Revolution, then came crashing down during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. Ruben Malayan is a calligrapher who not only lived through these ups and downs b…
We Don’t Talk About the Future
Ashot Gabrielyan moved to an isolated village in Artsakh to work as a teacher after the 2020 war. He has loved living there, but repeated aggressions from Azerbaijan have made everyday life in Artsak…
Serving With a Rifle, and Then With a Pen (Part 2)
In this episode, we delve deeper into Nikolay Stepanyan's personal journey during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, and hear his remarkable story of survival. If you missed part 1 of Kolya’s story, go b…
Serving With a Rifle, and Then With a Pen (Part 1)
In our first episode, we introduce Nikolay Stepanyan, a young Armenian from Russia. We learn about the circumstances that shaped his life and that ultimately led him to become a soldier.
Photo by Ast…
Introduction: Armenia as a Country of Dust
Meet your hosts, listen to the poem that helped inspire our podcast, and hear why we think the best way to understand Armenia is by following the stories of the people who live here.
Photo by Chris Na…