The “Cultural and Arts” division of the IRIB channel 3 has released a two episode documentary program directed at explaining the problem facing the Iranian Youth. It is centered around the popularity of Iranian Rap music and titled “Shock”. The program is quit dreadful in the level of untruthfulness and absurdity is uses to explain the issues and problems facing the young people of our nation. Some of the readers here might ask, “well, what did hell did you expect”? My answer is, more than what I saw!!
A little about the Iranian youth, this crucial demographic group between the ages of 15 and 29 comprises more than one-third of the nation’s population. Young Iranians face bleak employment prospects and shifting family and cultural dynamics, posing a pressing political and economic challenge to their government, which apparently doesn’t care about the roots of the problem but prefers to point fingers and blame others. I mean if we know anything about any government that is the first route they take, this is not limited to Iran. While the Iranian economy has grown at high rates during the past decade, young Iranians have had a great deal of difficulty accessing the benefits of this economic growth. The connected and the wealthy have absorbed the bulk of this economic windfall leaving the rest in the dust with nothing to show.
In this documentary, IRIB has focused their energy into a 2 episode non-sense and rather than focusing on the mix of personal and cultural frustration and economic discontent that has resulted in the issues the Iranian youth face, they have moved to blame each and every problem of this generation to the music that has become popular in Iran recently. The producers and directors have tried to relate the issues of the Iranian youth from daily social problems, drugs and alcohol abuse, runaway kids, homelessness and way of dressing up … all the way to the absurd accusation of promoting devil worship and anything under the sun to the Iranian rappers and underground musicians rather than focusing on the truth. I mean you’d think we’d want to find the root of the problem and then solve an issue but no, that would be to inconvenient for too many powerful people.
Erfan has recently released a 5 minute commentary that is a direct reply to these accusations and puts the attention back at IRIB and the producers of this program by asking them to focus on the TRUTH rather than creating a mirage that does not and will not solve anything but only make this music more popular. I mean what is cooler than music that your government does not want you to listen to??!! Watch Erfan’s reply below. Links to the original TV program are provided on the button of this page.
NOTES
You can watch the “shock” program on YouTube using the links below and form your own judgment.
-- Part 1
-- Part 2
-- Part 3
-- Part 4
-- Part 5
-- Part 6
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 |
your article is so to the point
by jigsawnovich on Sat Dec 19, 2009 04:36 PM PSTYour article really inspired me to learn more about the economy, social classes, government and propaganda in the IRI. I already loved Rap-e Fars, and had heard that some Iranian musicians and rappers had suffered being arrested for their songs. Your article helped me understand the big picture. I began to wonder what might happen next. //iranian.com/main/blog/jigsawnovich/prop...
thx erfan
by just another guy (not verified) on Tue Nov 25, 2008 04:14 PM PSTwow i watched some of the documentary and it was pretty fucked up. thanks for shedding some light on the subject.
love you!
by SABA&RAMBOD (not verified) on Tue Sep 16, 2008 04:44 PM PDTgoood talk Erfan :X
we R proud of you:X
to : nojan the great
by a dreamy youngem!! (not verified) on Tue Sep 16, 2008 10:44 AM PDTI had a teacher in iran for "herfeh va fan" class, it was kind of like a workshop to teach us things (metal works, industrial food processing, wood works). he would always tell us:
"man anaam ke rostam jahan ra ghereft, to chi kar kardi????"
and no, not all the kids are dreaming and if they do, well that is what kids do becuase once your a grown up with a wife or kids of your own or problems at work, there is certainly no time to dream any more!!!!!!!!!
let them be and enjoy the young years so they don't have to be dreamy when they grow up ... your comment solves nothing either! you are actually complaining yourself, are you one of those kids???
I think Iranian youth are
by nojan th great (not verified) on Tue Sep 16, 2008 02:26 AM PDTI think Iranian youth are dreamy! Far from realities of the world that surrenders us, they, day dream. They bitch about the standard of living and injustices in society but no one step up to address the problems.
AWESOOOOMEEE
by VsL (not verified) on Tue Sep 16, 2008 01:27 AM PDTAwesome man...amazing...now dats an answer for them!...
They dont know nth abt rap...rock...any type of music...except their own old style(nt sure abt this one either)...anyways man u did a great job...n LOVEEED the freestyle at the end!!...u took the first step...keep it comin!...TC!
The first young musician: Erfan
by AmirAshkan Pishroo on Mon Sep 15, 2008 02:52 PM PDTErfan is one of the greatest Iranian rappers who also upholds strong commitment to social causes.
I thank him for creating a unique Iranian rap art form, and for being very caring and a great inspiration to the young Iranians.