RUMI shirts by Arash Norouzi
MTV Rebel Music IRAN
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Arash Norouzi
The Mossadegh Project
| June 16, 2015                                                          


MTV | Rebel Music | IRAN (VIDEO)

A new MTV documentary series, Rebel Music, examines the interplay of political resisistance movements and the underground music scenes in various countries across the globe. Egypt, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Senegal, Turkey, Myanmar and ‘Native America’ have been spotlighted, profiling local performers in the hip hop / rap, punk, metal and rock music world.

The Iran episode profiles several Iranian musicians who have encountered tremendous obstacles (censorship, arrest, torture) pursuing their art under the tyranny of the Islamic regime. For context, the show opens with a brief review of Iranian history dating back to 1908 and the discovery of oil, the 1979 anti-Shah revolution which was co-opted by the clerical elite who still rule the country, and the explosive Green Movement protests in the summer of 2009, which erupted six years ago this week.

Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh (1882-1967) The featured Persian musicians unanimously praised Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh (1882-1967), the elected Prime Minister who was toppled in 1953 after his government nationalized the British owned oil refinery, leading to a CIA coup and the death of democracy in Iran.



Rebel Music | Iran: The Music Never Stopped (Full Episode) | MTV
May 2015, 24 minutes

MTV synopsis:
In Iran, a land of beauty, art and complex headlines, music is tightly controlled. Metal band Master of Persia, whose founder was arrested for his music, fled the country together with his bandmate who was threatened for her hairstyle. They are both persevering to keep playing against all odds. Erfan, one of Iran’s most popular hip-hop artists also shares his struggle to play his music thousands of miles from his family and fans.

موسیقی در ایران (سرزمین زیبایی، هنر و تیترهای پیچیده) به شدت کنترل می شود. بنیانگذار گروه متال سروران پارس به خاطر فعالیتهایش در زمینه موسیقی بازداشت می شود و در نهایت همراه هم تیمی اش که به خاطر مدل مویش تهدید شده بود، از ایران فرار می کند. هر دوی آنها مصمم هستند که با وجود تمام سختی ها به فعالیتهایشان در زمینه موسیقی ادامه دهند. همچنین، عرفان که یکی از محبوبترین خواننده های هیپ-هاپ ایران است، از سختی های کارش در مورد تهیه موزیکش فرسنگها دورتر از خانواده و هوادارانش می گوید.

The 1953 Coup in Iran Was An Act of War | by Arash Norouzi
The 1953 Coup in Iran Was An Act of War | by Arash Norouzi


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Related links:

Scottish Students at Edinburgh University Honor Dr. Mossadegh (October 1951)

The White House Responds To Question of Apology For 1953 Coup in Iran

The CIA on Twitter, One Year Later: A Retrospective by Arash Norouzi



MOSSADEGH t-shirts — “If I sit silently, I have sinned”

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