Mkhitar Khachatryan is one of the “happy” photographers of the “Photolur” agency who has taken photos of Cher during her visit to Armenia. It was a dark and cold year and only a couple of years had passed since the earthquake. Cher’s (Cheriline Sargsyan) visit to Armenia drew the attention of the people who had lived through the disaster of an earthquake. Cher came to Armenia with her personal photographers and cameramen. “Her visit seemed to be a theatrical performance. Cher managed to turn everything into a show. Even her arrival to the airport was a scene,” says M. Khachatryan.
“I remember going to work with one film thinking that that would be enough. But I realized ten minutes later that it would not be enough since every step Cher took was one picture.” Cher has walked around the streets of Yerevan, taken pictures near cut down trees (the cut down trees had served as firewood for residents of Yerevan), she has visited the yard in front of the National Art Gallery where the statue of Lenin was temporarily installed. “She got on top of Lenin’s statue and took some photos in different positions,” remembers M. Khachatryan.
Cher gave paper, pencils and dolls to the children in the orphanages who, in their turn, recited poems for their honorable guest. There are photos showing Cher as she hugs the children. However, the thing is that the photographer gets the impression that she was doing that not by listening to her heart, but rather by spur of the moment. “It was even hard to understand whether or not she had a heart,” he says.
Cher visited the Etchmiadzin monastery, lit candles and met with the Catholicos of all Armenians at the time. However, she postponed the meeting with the then president of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan. She had a cold and her stomach hurt. The Armenian photographers could not follow the star everywhere. They were only taking photos of things which were allowed. “We didn’t understand what the American photographers were after. Perhaps they were taking photos of her for some film or video clip,” says M. Khachatryan who remembers how Cher approached the cross-stone maker in Etchmiadzin, took the hammer from him and tried to strike at the rocks herself. Of course, all of that was photographed. The extravagant pop-star stayed at the “Armenia” hotel with her young and handsome boyfriend during her four day visit to Armenia. Her clothes still have the same extravagant look as they did before. “She usually wore leather pants and tied different cloths around her head,” says M. Khachatryan. The “Metal Curtain” of the Soviet Union had opened up at the end of the ‘80s and we had barely begun to know about Cher’s fame. Twenty years ago, very few people knew about Cher and wanted to talk to her. Just like then, today Cher also slightly mentions the fact that she is Armenian. She even avoids printing her full last name. The reason is not so much stardom, but rather her father’s strong character. Sources say that her father was an alcoholic and used to beat his family members. Cher’s visit to Armenia was published more in international press than the Armenian press. “They were demanding photos from us. Perhaps she drew more attention than even the president of the United States,” says M. Khachatryan. Her visit to Armenia changed Cher’s image and made her more cordial and heartfelt. As for what she really felt inside remains a mystery. Cher was not recognized and loved by the Armenian people like Charles Aznavour; that is probably why not many people in Armenia remember her visit.