We are half of Iran’s population

A very interesting project undertaken by the internationally and critically acclaimed Iranian film director and screenwriter Rakhshan Bani Etemad:
All four candidates of the upcoming Iranian presidential elections are invited to see a movie documenting gender discriminatory laws as well as precise demands as expressed by women activists from various organizations.
After seeing the movie, each of the candidates are asked to explain their future programs regarding these issues. Mr. Karoobi, Moussavi and Rezai took part in this project.
This documentary relate the whole event including the three presidential candidates reactions.

Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4 – Part 5
رخشان بنی‌اعتماد اولین فیلم مستند انتخاباتی را کلید‌ زد/گزارشی تازه ار فیلم‌های انتخاباتی نامزدهای انتخابات؛
ما نیمی از جمعیت ایران هستیم

The Yes Men

If you don’t know about them, read this first. Entertainment guarantied.

The Yes Men have done it again, june 2007

Update: The Yes Men and Bill Moyers, Ann El Khoury

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Mr. Gordon Brown takes office, The Fanonite
Courtesy Around the Campfire: Iranian American Youths Gather for Fellowship, Sharing — and Politeness, Tara Bahrampour

Meet Mitra

Conviction by Mitra Lore
Mixed Media on Steel, 46″ x 48″

“This art piece reminds us of the legacy we are leaving behind for our children, their children and the generations to follow! From the crimes we commit in the name of God to our never-ending greed for dominance, power and possessions.

Dedicated to people who support nations’ solving their conflicts through non-violent means.”

Mitra Lore‘s Homepage
Gallery
BBC: Art for Peace & Human Rights

Sean Penn, Iraq, Iran

Sean Penn: An Open Letter to the President … Four and a Half Years Later
Podcast, thanks Bijan🙂

“… I’ve been on the streets of Baghdad during this occupational war, outside the Green Zone, without security, and you haven’t … In that country of 25 million, these children have now suffered minimally, a rainstorm of civilian death around and among them totaling the equivalent of two hundred September 11ths in just four years of war.

Two hundred 9/11s. Two hundred 9/11s.

You want to rattle sabers toward Iran now? Let me tell you something about Iran, because I’ve been there and you haven’t. Iran is a great country. A great country. Does it have its haters? You bet. Just like the United States has its haters. Does it have a corrupt regime? You bet. Just like the United States has a corrupt regime. Does it want a nuclear weapon? Maybe. Do we have one? You bet. But the people of Iran are great people. And if we give that corrupt leadership, (by attacking Iran militarily) the opportunity to unify that great country in hatred against us, we’ll have been giving up one of our most promising future allies in decades. If you really know anything about Iran, you know exactly what I’m referring to …” read more

 

In June 2005 Sean Penn traveled to Iran for the San Francisco Chronicle. You can read his articles here and see the video.

Sean Penn hopes US people know Iran’s culture, Payvand

Random Ramblings

I just came across a moving review of Lipstick Jihad by Karen, Random Ramblings. She reflects about the relationship and love of Azadeh Moaveni, an American-Iranian (and I should add a successful writer of the Time magazine) toward an apparently problematic country, Iran:

“The thing that struck me, though, was her love for Iran. While raised in America, thankful for the privilege she had – she had a very special love and concern for Iran in spite of all of its troubles. Wherever she went, she felt like a foreigner but it didn’t keep her from engaging with the people of Iran, discovering their worldview and hoping for good to come to the country.” And this leads to an interesting reflexion about Karen’s own relationship to her country, the USA.

I left a comment at her blog, and I linked to this delightful post of Shirin. I think what make us to love our country and its people of all school of thought:) – while being totally aware of all the related controversy – is that deep down we were sort of brainwashed to feel compassion, even for those we disapprove. Ok, you might say that this is not very obvious reading the newspapers or watching Fox and the like. Point taken. But we are supposed to usually draw a clear line between the “news” and the people, and all people, not only Iranians, and we cherish this world view and those who have it.

Maybe this is a good time to clarify another thing. I had a few posts, consisting mostly of cutting and pasting articles or book reviews with a very critical view of the American policy. Wrong or right, my assumption is that a handful of politicians do not speak for 300 million people. This is obvious to me.

Anyway, have a look at Karen’s great post.

PS: These two delightful posts by Rita give also a glimpse at the eyeranians psyche:)
On Poets, Rulers & Us, and Pride & Disgrace of Being

Music, Dance: Peyman forwarded the following link: A Fanatastic Thai Dance

Cluster bombs: Sophia informs us that Just Foreign Policy and Jewish Voice for Peace have launched a petition to restrict the sale and use of cluster bombs. Read more about the petition here.

Meet the Unpeople: Another very informative post by our very wise PPGG
99 says it in her own style 🙂

Max …

… the Peace Activist
Stop the War Demonstration, Wednesday 24 January
© Aref-Adib

Relevent links: Stopwar.org, Avaaz.Org
Irrelevent links: The unreported
Blog as if your life depended on it
A Guided tour of the rhetorical wasteland of 2007’s State of the Union

Balatarin

Persian readers, this is really addictive:

Balatarin, the highest … a community website which helps its users to find the best links on the Internet that interest Iranian Internet users around the world.

Registered users can post links to interesting articles … to the recently posted page. Once a link gets enough positive votes, it is moved to the top of the front page … Users can bookmark the links … have a profile page …

… a completely unique non-conventional credibility system … Each user has a credibility that increases over time based on the activities and contributions of the user … which … in turns determines the amount of allowed activity … a tag cloud shows the level of interest of users in a specific subject....

Launched on August 16, 2006, … continually being improved… currently 4801 registered users … 17500 links.

Balatarine page in wikipedia

Up!date 07/06/02: Balatarin is blocked 😦 …. Petition for balatarin

No War

Robo wrote:

“I’m worried these days. You are too. These days we’re all too worried and distracted to focus on our daily affairs.

I’m only a simple florist without the means to weather the hardships of war. I haven’t forgotten my childhood spent in ‘potato years’ – my word for the 80’s. I can’t bear the loss of my friends and countrymen. I am against the war. I don’t want a heavy conscious when I die.

“What do we do if there’s war?” That’s not important now. What is important now is not to let it happen. We shouldn’t just stand by and wait for it and then have to defend the homeland and… at the expense of future generations. War should not happen.

The destruction brought by Saddam on behalf of the World on us is enough for another century. We shouldn’t have a few heads of state unite to destroy what is left of Iran.

But how?

The true power in the world is Public Opinion. It must be led towards “NO WAR!” That is, the “NO WAR!” banner must be spread wherever possible.

The world leaders must learn to solve their problems without harming people. If they can’t do that they must simply disappear.

I thought this does not need further elaboration. No websites, platforms or speeches are needed. I think this simple phrase is enough. I do not want war. “NO WAR!” I will tell this in my weblog and to anyone I meet. “NO WAR!”

The logo is simple and brusque. Yellow conveys horrid feelings. As horrid as war. It fully expresses the appalling sense. If you like these logos put them in your weblogs and sites. No need for a link. This single phrase will do: “NO WAR!””

Here, the original text in Persian

Update: Persian Petition

Update 2: 99 writing in Persian 🙂

doxdo

Robo from doxdo,

founders of a feed reader of Iranian blogs in Persian & English,

has created the following logo to be used by anyone willing to do so.

No linking is required.

 Relevent links: Enough Fear
Persian Petition

Peyman and his Tonbak …

… Drums not Bombs!

” … Following the Islamic Revolution, the tonbak gained popularity as Iranian pop music was banned and replaced by instrumental classical music. Today, the tonbak is a serious concert instrument as well as a party favorite among the people of Iran… Modern players are expanding the technique of playing the tonbak exponentially … ” Wiki

Tonbak solo in Austrian “colors of percussion” festival 2004

Peyman Nasehpour, born in 1974 comes from another family of musicians: his father is the recognized vocalist Ostad Nasrollah Nasehpour, and his grandfather, Agha Shakour, a famed garmon-player.

Peyman was acquainted with Azerbaijani and Persian music since childhood; he started playing the tonbak at the age of nine. He also studied ghaval and daf – Azerbaijani and Kurdish frame drums – with renowned masters. Since, he has also added the indian tabla to his repertoir. Peyman holds a Master of Science in Mathematics and is an avid student of philosophy.

The Nasehpour Ensemble includes Peyman, his father and his two younger brothers Pooyan, a santur player and Parham, tar, setar and kamancheh player.

Beside his excellence as an instumentalist, Peyman is a very active promoter of music on the internet: along his English website, blog and Persian blog, he contributes to other websites such as the Persion Mirror, Drum Journey, Rhytmweb …, see his internet page.

You can find Peyman on almost all online discussion groups about percussion.

“Why Internet? Because Internet connects people to each other and brings peace, love, respect and understanding.”

Peyman, an avid researcher, has many articles and interviews available on the net. The previous post about Ostad Tehrani was mostly based on his writings. To name a few of his articles: Ghaval, the Azerbaijani frame drum, Sufi rhythms for the daf… here is a summary of his articles.

No War in Iran
by Peyman

To desire peace, to have freedom, justice and democracy, to respect to human rights, to wish for the happiness of one’s family, to seek secure and safe life, these are all the shared sentiments of people everywhere…

… the following question rises: How, then, can we transform enmity to empathy, conflict to coexistence?

The only answer that I always find is: to respect our cultures and civilizations, to learn from each other, to understand our common sentiments and spread the love among all nations. Therefore, it depends on every culture’s ambassadors (particularly artists) how to promote peace, love, mutual respect and understanding …

The children of Adam are limbs of each other
Having been created of one essence.
When the calamity of time afflicts one limb
The other limbs cannot remain at rest.
If thou hast no sympathy for the troubles of others
Thou art unworthy to be called by the name of a man.

… I, as a member of Artists Without Frontiers, invite all artists of the world to join us and start a new peace campaign before it is so late!

Sincerely yours, Peyman Nasehpour
The original text

Links: One World Beat, The Musicians Alliance for Peace

I wish all the success for Peyman in his career and his effort in promoting Persian music and culture.