21 Years after Hayedeh: non-Persian Reactions

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Pejman7
by Pejman7
19-Jan-2011
 

20th January 2011 is 21st anniversary of Hayedeh's tragic death in exile. She was only 47 and losing her was a shock for her nation.

More than two decades after the legendary Persian diva's demise, we can look at her story from various points of view.Since finishing my documentary about Hayedeh I have been so curious to know what is the reaction of non-Persians toward her voice and life story. One of the best ways was 'media'.

Fortunately up to now, two non-Persian media have reacted. First in Hebrew, Haaretz, the leftist Israeli newspaper. Noam Ben-Zeev who is a music professor at Haifa University wrote a review about the documentary and Hayedeh's works. Prof. Ben-Zeev wrote: "Archival film footages show the process along which Hayedeh turned from classical music to pop. She is shown singing accompanied by piano, drums, and guitar, with pop rhythms and at the San Remo Festival. The pop music sweeping the country then was the fashion..."

Another article was published in Dutch Magazine Elsevier. The author is the Persian-Dutch law Professor Afshin Ellian, who is known as a hardliner and controversial anti-Islam writer in Holland. He belives: "in the documentary you see the women of Persia in 1941 were just as modern as the rest of the world. But now, decades later, they have been thrown back into darker times. This is what Islam does to a culture, to a people. So don’t tell me islam is good for women. Don’t tell me islam is a normal religion. Islam is a disaster, a tsunami that destroys different opinions and different cultures."

Ellian adds: "The religion that does not want to hear this divine voice, these divine lyrics, [like the song "Shanehayat"] does not belong in the world of freedom and civilisation."

Anyway I have collected all reviews in one page. Hayedeh's song and life were not just something related to her or music. They are representating our cultural and social situation in 1970s and 1980s.I will try more to introduce her voice and story through my documentary to non-Persians. Here in The Netherlands I have been in various events dedicated to Umm Kulthum. Why such events should not be organized for our Hayedeh and Persian music? It depends to us.

In the meantime I have started to work on a new documentary. I hope to be abale to finish that in 2011. It's about the 400 years historical relations between Persia and Holland and the situation of Iranian community in The Netherlands since 17th century till now! A challenging project which needs in-depth research, enough time and money. In absence of an interested government or community what should I do?! "Khodaa Bozorgeh!" :)


www.PersianDutch.com

 

 

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MM

I have to disagree w/ Prof. A. Ellian on Iranian women

by MM on

In appearance, the women of Iran are behind the veil and placed in an inferior position, comparatively.  However, at the height of the oppression of the IRI, female leaders and a host of their warriors were busy on the streets of Iran collecting "One Million Signatures" to fight for their civil rights. 

The leaders of the women movement have a long list, and their soldiers are numerous.  Here are some who need to be mentioned with their perseverance and bravery in the face of intimidation, torture and jail; They include brave women (some in jail now) like Delaram Ali, Fariba Davoodi Mohajer, Noushin Ahmadi Khorasani, Parvin Ardalan, Shahla Entesari, Sussan Tahmasebi, Azadeh Forghani and Bahareh Hedayat.

This movement is politically strong.  Just listen to Bahareh Hedayat while she was under IRI investigation for being anti-government (//www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtUvxtH00Lc).  This women movement resembles hot coals under ashes and only needs a breather wind to come out, and as Aynak predicted, to produce the first Prime Minister of Iran ( Iranian Women Gain Momentum & Become the Regime’s Biggest Threat).


Maryam Hojjat

Thanks Pejman

by Maryam Hojjat on

for your blog about our music diva.  Good luck on your documentaries.


Red Wine

...

by Red Wine on

هایده همیشه در ذهن و یاد من زنده است،همیشه ایشان را اینگونه زنده و شاداب،آنجور که ایشان را شناختم تصور می‌کنم.

آن سالی‌ که ایشان را از نزدیک دیدم و به سدایشان گوش کردم،آنچنان شیفته و دلباخته ایشان شدم که بغض عجیبی‌ گلویم را گرفت و تا آخرین لحظه که ایشان برنامه داشت..قدرت تکان خوردن را نداشتم و میخکوب..غرق تماشای ایشان و تحسین صدای ایشان..اینجور آن لحظه را به یاد دارم.

واقعا متاسفم که ایشان دیگر در میان ما نیستند و عجب ضربه یی بزرگ به موسیقی‌ ما وارد شد.

بارها آهنگهای ایشان را گوش می‌کنم،به خصوص زمانی‌ که دلگیرم و افسرده خاطر،ایشان را می‌پرستم و معتقدم که دیگر جای ایشان پر نخواهد شد و موسیقی‌ ما برای همیشه عزادار !

هنوز عزادارم . . .

از بلاگ شما و یادبود شما متشکرم،یاد هایده هیچ وقت از خاطرم نمی‌رود.هایده هنوز زنده است.