Diaspora
به زبان فارسی
PICTORY
LATEST MUSIC
SEARCH
FILM
19-Feb-2010 (5 comments)
Rolo May once said creativity arises out of the tension between spontaneity and limitation. Bahman Ghobadi’s most recent work portraits how this is manifested in the day to day life in Iran, in particular in that of the Iranian youth. No One Knows About Persian Cats opens with Ghobadi recording a Kurdish song in an underground recoding studio in Tehran. This is his only cameo appearance in the entire film. On the surface, the plot is simple. Ashkan and Negar, two young musicians are looking to form a band and dream of taking part in a music festival in Europe>>>
CHESS
17-Feb-2010 (10 comments)
It was summer of 1972. It is a memory but plays like a dream in my head. I spent a lot of time with my youngest uncle Hamid and his friends. Mostly Hadaf graduating year students who were ok with a kid my age hanging with them. I was good at Takhte, convoluted jokes & conversations, and could handle their version of Shah/Vazir that included real slaps that left finger prints on the face for a good half a day, Otooye Atashin that could take a chunk of your hair off, and Shah's takht who would literally sit on you throughout his reign that was always longer than appropriate and ended up in tyranny no matter who got to be king>>>
UCLA
13-Feb-2010
The 20th Celebration of Iranian Cinema kicked off this weekend at University of California, Los Angeles, featuring a collection of established and emerging talents from Iran. The goal of this greatly received show-case is, and has been, to present a diverse portrait of Iran’s variety of cultural communities, leading customs and expressions as well as ethnic minorities’ way of living. On Friday February 5th, the opening night was dedicated to Heiran (2009) Shalizeh Alizadeh’s first feature film>>>
DISGRACED
11-Feb-2010 (19 comments)
In Britain, the word “black” usually refers to people of African or Caribbean descent. It’s always been a surprise to many Iranians that Ali Dizaei, the disgraced London Met police commander, should have been head of the Met Black Police Association (MetBPA) — few people of African or Caribbean descent would be comfortable calling themselves Iranian. Even the word “Asian” doesn’t quite sit with us — it usually refers to people from the Indian subcontinent. We identify much more with the tag “Middle Eastern” and even then like to make clear that we are not Arabs>>>
REALITY CHECK
03-Feb-2010 (10 comments)
بر سر زبان افتادن نام آقای جان فرحی به اتهام کلاهبرداری و سوء استفاده های مالی، آتش یهودی ستیزی و اصطلاحا آنچه آنتی سمیتیزم نامیده می شود را تیزتر کرده است. این روزها در لوس آنجلس در هر جمعی که می نشینی به شرطی که دوستان یهودی حضور نداشته باشند، یکی پس از دیگری نظریاتی می دهند و با استناد به شواهدی احکامی صادر می کنند که گویا از فرط بدیهی بودن به قضایای مسلم هندسی می ماند که انکار و یا رد آن تائیدیه ای بربیسوادی و بی صلاحیتی و حواس پرتی مدعی ست>>>
EXILES
09-Jan-2010 (20 comments)
The grand, wrought iron gates of the Polish wartime cemetery have not been opened for decades and are permanently padlocked. Entrance can be gained using a smaller, more prosaic, gate at the western end of the compound. As with the other Polish war cemeteries in Iran, this site is cared for by the local Armenian community, a service for which it deserves a deep debt of gratitude. Arrived with a bouquet of red and white flowers in my arms, I am welcomed at the door by the caretaker, Mr. Reza Moghadam, a slim, gentle, self-effacing man who leads me leisurely through what looks like a secret garden rather than a graveyard>>>
LIFE
02-Jan-2010
ندیده و نشناخته از غربت واهمه داشتیم. از اینکه نکند یهو بزند و همه چیز تغییر کند و هیچ چیز سرجای خودش نباشد. از اینکه صداها همان نباشد که هر روز میشنویم و یا ستاره ای در دل آسمان پس و پیش بشود و فردایش آفتاب آنقدر نماند تا بازی فوتبال توی زمین خاکی را تمام کنیم. از اینکه یک جایی پرت بشویم که کوچه ها را نشناسیم و هیچکس زبان ما را نفهمد. همه این واهمه ها از دل صحبت های بزرگترها بیرون زده بود و آنها بودند که کل و کاسه ما را بیخود و بی جهت بهم ریخته بودند. ما که سرمان به نصف روز مدرسه رفتن گرم بود و باقی اش هم بازی بود که تمامی نداشت>>>
DINNER
18-Dec-2009 (14 comments)
The other night Becky and I arrived at a large gathering of family and friends. Our generous guest, Mrs. Nicey had obviously spent a good deal of time meticulously preparing for this occasion, cleaning, cooking, and decorating. Her recently remodeled home was tastefully painted and painfully overfurnished with the usual suspectsin the mix, French, Qajar and modern American articles. As soon as we arrived Mrs. Nicey rushed to greet us. She looked rather frazzled though. It must have been the stress of all the hard work of arranging the perfect party. She shook hands and accepted the bottle of wine>>>
POLITICS
16-Dec-2009 (2 comments)
While I would agree that the regime has successfully transitioned from a hybrid authoritarian state to one that more closely resembles unmitigated totalitarianism, the regime remains inherently at odds with itself. The paradox of the state, its religious and republican elements, has ultimately hastened increased state fragmentation and lead to a crisis of identity. While the security apparatus of the state has undoubtedly expanded its grip on society, we are increasingly witness to fissures among elite politicians who disagree as to the best course forward>>>
VIEW
14-Dec-2009 (34 comments)
I have always been fascinated with Iran. Even before I met my half Armenian, half Persian wife. And when I met her, I was hoping to get close to a country and culture I always have admired. Instead I discovered that my wife shuns her Persian family and relishes in her Armenian side. When asked why, her answer was simple: Iranians eat their young.
Now you may think she was a racist or self-hater, but reality is more complicated>>>
RECENT COMMENTS
IRANIANS OF THE DAY
| Person | About | Day |
|---|---|---|
| نسرین ستوده: زندانی روز | Dec 04 | |
| Saeed Malekpour: Prisoner of the day | Lawyer says death sentence suspended | Dec 03 |
| Majid Tavakoli: Prisoner of the day | Iterview with mother | Dec 02 |
| احسان نراقی: جامعه شناس و نویسنده ۱۳۰۵-۱۳۹۱ | Dec 02 | |
| Nasrin Sotoudeh: Prisoner of the day | 46 days on hunger strike | Dec 01 |
| Nasrin Sotoudeh: Graffiti | In Barcelona | Nov 30 |
| گوهر عشقی: مادر ستار بهشتی | Nov 30 | |
| Abdollah Momeni: Prisoner of the day | Activist denied leave and family visits for 1.5 years | Nov 30 |
| محمد کلالی: یکی از حمله کنندگان به سفارت ایران در برلین | Nov 29 | |
| Habibollah Golparipour: Prisoner of the day | Kurdish Activist on Death Row | Nov 28 |