Following the inauguration of Britanahay Բրիտանահայ: Armenian and British at the British Library on 27 September 2025, the display received attention from a wide range of media outlets internationally.
As we have shared in a previous post, the process of creating and bringing this display to life was shaped by sustained dialogue and close collaboration with the display’s curator, Michael Erdman. Our team carefully selected interview excerpts from our Heritage of Displacement project to enrich the display and to foreground the experiences of Armenian communities in the UK.
The display has been featured across Armenian, British, and international media, spanning cultural journalism, community platforms, and specialist outlets. Collectively, this coverage reflects the display’s cultural significance and its resonance with diverse audiences.
Selected Press and Community Coverage
The US Armenians (Facebook) – Coverage focuses on the long-standing cultural and historical ties between Armenians and Britons, the display’s curatorial scope, and its reflection of the growing Armenia–UK Strategic Partnership.
Armenian Women Artists (Instagram) – This post announces the opening of the Britanahay Բրիտանահայ: Armenian and British display at the British Library and highlights its collaborative development with the Armenian Institute. It focuses on its use of archival materials and oral histories to trace Armenian–British interactions across multiple regions, with particular attention to a featured illustration by Zabelle C. Boyajian and its literary and historical context.
Zartonk Media (Facebook) – Coverage highlighting its exploration of historical, cultural, and community connections between Armenia and the United Kingdom, including key artefacts, interactive elements such as the QR codes linked to oral histories from the Armenian Community in the UK, and the role of cultural diplomacy. The article also highlights the string quartet performance led by Maestro Levon Chilingirian.
Armenian Embassy in the UK (Facebook) – Highlights from the display’s inauguration event.
Armenian Press – An article outlining the display’s focus on Armenian–British historical and cultural relations, featuring key artefacts, curatorial collaboration, interactive features such as the QR codes linked to oral histories from the Armenian Community in the UK, and remarks by Ambassador Varuzhan Nersesyan within the broader context of Armenia–UK cultural diplomacy.
Public Radio of Armenia – Coverage framing Britanahay as both a cultural celebration and an expression of Armenia–UK cooperation, with attention to curatorial leadership and interactive components. The article further notes a string quartet performance under the direction of Maestro Levon Chilingirian, adding a musical dimension to the event.
Alpha News – An announcement highlighting the display of rare artefacts such as the first Armenian book printed in London and works by British-Armenian photographer Ida Kar, and noting the display’s run until 22 February 2026.
Diario Armenia (Spanish) – This reflective Spanish-language piece offers an in-depth account of the Britanahay: Armenian and British display at the British Library, situating it within both the institution’s broader historical collections and the author’s personal visit. Blending historical overview with evocative narrative, the article explores key artefacts, curatorial choices, and notes the oral history elements used to examine themes of diaspora, memory, cultural survival, and belonging beyond national boundaries.
We were particularly moved by the way the author engaged with the audio clips drawn from our Heritage of Displacement project:
“QR codes scattered throughout the exhibition offered access to oral histories. Fragments of lives resonated from discreet speakers, voices that spanned centuries, whispering from memory. Interviews with people who had lived this existential duality, who had navigated the narrow channels of the Armenian community within England. Those voices spoke of nostalgia and adaptation, of roots that cannot be uprooted but only replanted in foreign soil.”
Erevan Press (Bulgarian) – This Bulgarian-language article reports on the opening of the Britanahay display at the British Library, detailing its exploration of the long-standing historical and cultural ties between Armenia and the United Kingdom. It highlights key artefacts, curatorial collaboration, interactive oral history elements, and includes reflections from both the curator and representatives of the Armenian Institute, situating the display within the broader framework of cultural diplomacy and Armenia–UK relations.
Jamanak (Armenian) - This in-depth article examines the Britanahay: Armenian and British display at the British Library as a powerful example of cultural diplomacy, situating it within the broader history of Armenian–British relations. It highlights key historical artefacts, contemporary community narratives, interactive oral history elements, and curatorial perspectives, while also exploring the displays’s engagement with Western and Ottoman Armenian heritage and its role in fostering dialogue between past and present.
Reflecting on the display’s oral history component, the author writes:
“The Britanahay exhibition also has an interactive element: through QR codes placed next to the exhibits, it is possible to listen to selected excerpts from oral histories. This format reflects a new approach to contemporary museology: participatory, lively and engaging. The interviews were collected by the Armenian Institute of London as part of the “Heritage of Displacement: Oral Histories from the UK Armenian Communities (2023–2026)” project.”
Curatorial Reflections
In addition to press coverage, curator Dr Michael Erdmanpublished a series of blog posts offering further insight into the display’s content and development:
These reflections provide valuable context and expand on the research, narratives, and individuals featured in the display.
Acknowledgements
We warmly thank all journalists, media platforms, and community voices who engaged with and shared Britanahay Բրիտանահայ: Armenian and British. Our sincere thanks also go to our partners at the British Library and to the Armenian Embassy in the UK for their continued support in helping this project reach wider audiences.
Heritage of Displacement: Oral Histories from the UK Armenian Communities (2023–2026), is funded by a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant, thanks to National Lottery players.