Launched in 1995, The Iranian is an online news and opinion site for those who care deeply about all things Iranian–identity, culture, music, history, politics, literature, and one another.
For millennia, humans have made meaning of the world and their place in it, by the light of fire, telling one another stories under the stars. These stories contained vital information, they told us where to find clean water and food, where to find ourselves in our collective memory. Stories were our news. Story telling, and the members of the tribe who told them, held a critical and necessary place in the life of the community. The stories we tell one another help us navigate our lives, they shape and craft who we are–the imagination and possibility of who we can be.
So if storytelling is part of the heart and imagination of a community–who right now is telling our story, the story of the Iranian Diaspora? Who is celebrating our achievements? Who is documenting our aspirations? Who is keeper of the record? Who helps to hold up the mirror of critique, analysis, and self-accountability?
The answer is startling.
The Iranian, now beyond its 20th year, is one of the only English language sources of independent Iranian news, culture, politics, opinion, and art in the world. All other prominent sources are funded by and represent the interests of governments and corporations, the agendas of which do not apparently seek to serve the best interests of The People. One need only reference current headlines and the fever-pitched tone of popular discourse to be reminded that the narratives we broadcast and consume have consequences. After all, we are what we eat.
It matters where our ideas and information come from, and it matters how and by whom it is prepared. It’s time to go organic.
In the midst of these efforts to ‘other-ize’ and dehumanize us and how we are perceived, our mission at The Iranian is not to rebut or debate these false narratives; such an approach would only add to the cacophony of disinformation and co-opt our attention capital. We are more independently minded than that. Our mission is to simply tell compelling, authentic stories that reflect the diverse truth of who we are.
We will tell the big story, as well as the small. We will tell the story that we all are eager to learn more about. We will tell the story that we all secretly wish no one would speak of but must be told, nonetheless.
This is why The Iranian needs your funding and committed support:
- To establish an ongoing, sustainable organization for sovereign story telling for the Iranian Diaspora community.
- To build and maintain a network of skilled journalists and reporters to cover beats and events important to the interests of the Iranian community in every significant part of The Diaspora.
- To construct a space that can host conversation and contributions from the larger community of writers, opinion-makers, creators, videographers, graphic artists, poets and comedians.
- To build bridges and reusable process patterns to connect and cooperate with other communities of the world as we all regain and reclaim our voices.
To any and all whose souls resonate with ours–join us by the fireside…
Respectfully,