Uncovering Roots: Recounting Overlooked Historical Tales

 Independent podcasters often have life interfere with podcasting. Unlike celebrity podcasters who "have people" who run interference for them, Indie podcasters must cope with jobs, finances, family, friends, and the everyday time crunch we average people deal with.

 Uncovering Roots made an impact in December 2023 with its three-part series about the Armenian Genocide of 1915 and beyond by the Ottoman Empire (modern-day Turkey). In those two years of the genocide, over 1.2 million Armenians were sent on death marches to the Syrian Desert. In addition, about 200,000 Armenian women and children were forcibly converted to Islam and integrated into Muslim households.

In the first season, the creator, producer, and host is Maxim Saakyan recounted the story of Armenian Genocide survivor Aurora Mardiganian, who was the subject of the strong opening episode, pieced together with interviews from people who knew her. Resilience doesn’t come close to describing the woman who suffered torture and brutality before she eventually escaped to New York.

Saakyan comments on these episodes: "This three-part podcast series is very important to me. As an Armenian, the number of people who don't know about the genocide really hurts me. Then we look at Aurora's story, and it's just so unbelievably shocking. It's so unbelievable that so many people didn't actually think she existed. Like she was a fictional character that was made up to represent the pain Armenians went through. But she was real. She not only went through the genocide, but she also went through Hollywood exploitation as well. This story isn't just about teaching people about the genocide, it's about honoring her story."

 

Due to its strategic geographic significance, Armenia has suffered countless invaders and invasions throughout history. For example, from 1513 to 1737, Armenia was controlled by different conquerors 14 times.

 Uncovering Roots just started its second season on April 21. As an enthusiastic reviewer of the show in season one, I can say succinctly that it was worth the wait. Topics range from Lebanon to Palestine to Armenia. Max adds, "We go into revolutionary flags and Pasolini's trip to Beirut."

 Uncovering Roots is an independently produced (Indie) podcast that is a moving and powerful new show that gives a voice to lesser-known people whose stories need to be heard.

The creator, producer, and host is Maxim Saakyan. He is Armenian, Spanish, and Russian, a complicated blend, to say the least. 

Saakyan was born in Italy, moved to London when he was young, and studied Math for both his bachelor's and master's degrees. His education led him quite organically to a data analyst job, but he craved doing creative things.

Max says: "My background is a tad funny when it comes to being in the creative world! I studied mathematics at university, which makes my journalism slightly more analytical at times, which I think is a different look from most storytelling. Childhood wise! I was born to Armenian-Spanish parents, born in Italy, and grew up in London. Someone always seems to ask 'Where are you from'".

We asked Maxim Saakyan why he started this podcast. Max began discussing the podcast title. "One of the most difficult things about making a podcast is deciding on a unique name. Uncovering Roots felt perfect. We truly uncover the stories we tell, where it is a deep dive, finding out new things. And with that, we tend to find the root of the story by doing that."

Max explained: "How did I actually get into it? I realized I was living a relatively similar 9 to 5 life, came home from work, watched TV, went to the gym, and repeated. It became very monogamous. I needed something different, and I met a dear friend in Morocco who was an audio producer, and she really inspired me that you’re able to do both things. Investigate stories while you have a full-time job, but you have to love it."

"I'm a strong believer that creative outputs are the best ways to teach people about certain topics," says Maxim. "Whether that's about history, culture or current affairs, audio is also such an intimate way of talking to people, most of the time, you're literally in their ears speaking to them."

Maxim continues: "We seem to be living in a world where one-minute videos are the goal, but despite that, there is a rise in popularity with podcasts, which can be 30 to even 60 minutes long."

 

Make no mistake about it. Saakyan's storytelling and narrative prowess are so good that these episodes rival the emotional punch of Holocaust horror tales. What's more amazing about the emotional core of this podcast is Saakyan's admission that, "I virtually had zero storytelling podcast experience, no sound design experience, no mic experience. This was an entire learning curve for me, from fact-checking to interviewing. I think one of the hardest things was the sound design element. I never appreciated how crucial it is."

 

In season two, Maxim releases a gem for his first episode. The Baron Hotel once hosted kings, spies, archaeologists, and refugees. It was a grand hotel at the crossroads of empire, war, and survival. In this episode, Maxim traces The Baron's layered history through the voice of Mary Momdjian, whose family built and ran the hotel for generations.

From stories of Armenian refugees during the genocide to cocktails with Agatha Christie, the Baron’s past is woven into the fabric of Syria’s modern history. Today, it stands abandoned. A fragile, fading symbol of memory and loss.

In the episode, Maxim says: "The Baron Hotel's tale is one of faith, ambition and survival. The hotel's history mirrors that of Aleppo, Syria itself."

Despite Saakyan's protestations of inexperience, Uncovering Roots is an audio masterpiece for several reasons. First, his storytelling is so commanding that it can grab listeners by their ears. His voice radiates the kind of emotional intensity that can blanket listeners with the darkness of the human psyche.

Second, the sound production is sonically eloquent and pervasive in its haunting nature.

"For the first episode, I worked with the talented Olivia Melkonain on music," Saakyan notes. "We used a music library to try to find Armenian sounds. After learning a lot from her, I implemented a similar sound design in episodes two and three. The Armenian sounds, from Oud's to Duduk's, were a really important part of the series."

Third, Saakyan created this podcast with a sharp eye for the smallest detail. For example, his mother designed the podcast's graphics, and, while it was very much a solo project, he solicited help from Olivia Melkonian and Al Shaibani."

On his website, Maxim tells listeners: "Uncovering Roots will feature a number of stories that will concentrate on the SWANA (South West Asia and North Africa) region and indigenous people across the globe. The podcast aims to appeal to a broad audience by covering a wide range of themes."

In Maxim's words: "It's a journey into the lesser-known narratives that deserve to be heard. Each episode is crafted to immerse listeners in a creative and personal storytelling experience, fostering a connection between the audience and the featured stories."

I highly recommend Uncovering Roots. This podcast resonates with the concept of lost, forgotten, or intentionally neglected history. 

Max adds: "There’s so much history that gets lost, stories that get lost. And I wanted to try to investigate these stories and bring them back to life. Honor those people who are in the stories, and teach people who aren’t aware of the region."