Celebration of Iranian Culture in the Land of Festivals

Edinburgh, the classic Persian spelling of Edinburgh, is the capital of Britain's artistic festivals, and holding a festival in such a city that simultaneously attracts the attention of artists in both Britain and Iran is a remarkable feat, which the Edinburgh Iranian Festival has accomplished. The Edinburgh Iranian Festival has been held every two years since 2009, and this year it is taking place from February 6 to 16. A group of Iranians residing in Edinburgh, in collaboration with cultural institutions in Scotland and Scottish artists and cultural figures, organize this festival. The support of cultural authorities in Scotland for this festival indicates its importance as a recognized institution and a reflection of the collective will of the Iranian community in Scotland, particularly in Edinburgh. The British Council, the University of Edinburgh, the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the National Museum of Scotland, and the City of Edinburgh Council are among the governmental and national institutions that have assisted in organizing this festival this year. More than 10 non-governmental cultural and artistic institutions have also supported the Edinburgh Iranian Festival in this year's programs. The main organizing institution is a Scottish non-profit called the Edinburgh Iranian Festival, which states its goal is to introduce the culture, art, history, and people of Iran. There are at least over 5,000 Iranians residing in Scotland, most of whom are Iranian students or educated Iranians who have settled after completing their studies in Scotland. One of the features of this festival is its remarkable diversity of cultural and artistic disciplines that have attracted attention, especially areas that have a closer relationship with the applications of art in people's daily lives. In addition to the film and music festival and stage performances that reflect innovative steps among Iranian artists, sections like fashion shows and Iranian food have added a special appeal to this festival among Iranians in Scotland and Britain. In this year's opening program, the Arzoo Symphony Orchestra, the only orchestra in Britain that performs Iranian and classical music, presented a program. The musicians of this orchestra, led by Amin Kashmiri, are members of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, performing works by Hossein Dehlavi, Majid Entezami, and Benjamin Britten. In this program, Scottish poet Rob Wilson, who has translated poems of Omar Khayyam into Scots (the traditional Scottish language), recited pieces from Khayyam in both languages for the audience. A bookstore in Edinburgh has gathered a collection of books about Iran and provided an opportunity to purchase and read books about Iran during the festival. Karen Babayan, a university professor and author of 'Blood Oranges, Covered in Salt,' speaks about her book and signs it for attendees. Ms. Babayan narrates the story of her Armenian family from 400 years ago, from Isfahan and Tehran to Yerevan. During the night of poetry dedicated to Nima Yushij at the Sutton Gallery, alongside paintings by Hassan Mashkini Fam (a painter from Shiraz) inspired by Nima's poetry, a poetry reading and discussion about Nima and live music take place. The works of two children's book authors are also discussed: Mehdi Ziaei, who has written 'The Adventures of Sohrab and the Genie' in English, and Hengameh Yashar, who has compiled and translated a collection of nursery rhymes from Iranian kindergartens from the 1960s to the present into English. In the painting and visual arts section, works by 40 artists who responded to the festival's call are displayed. Janet Radi, Morteza Nematollahi, Goher Dashti, and Helia Darabi have judged this section. During the festival film nights, the memorable 'The Deluge,' made in 1972 by Bahram Beyzai, will be screened alongside seven films by young directors made in recent years. The films include: 'Desert Fish' (Mohammad Ghorban Karami), 'Taboor' (Vahid Vakili Far), 'A Few Kilos of Dates for the Funeral' (Saman Salour), 'The Prince' (Mahmoud Behraznia), 'Kamy's Party' (Ali Ahmadzadeh), 'Parviz' (Majid Barzegar), and 'I am a Keeper of the World, Making Western Films' by Kamran Heydari. Azadeh, an Iranian-British singer from London who performs Iranian folklore music inspired by jazz and blues rhythms, is the guest artist in the festival's music section. Parmis Mozaffari, a researcher at the University of St. Andrews, holds a workshop on Iranian music that includes both a lecture and a music performance. However, perhaps the most unique musical work of this year's festival is the performance of the song 'Marabbus' by the famous choir 'Love Music,' composed of singers from various nationalities. Roxana Wilk, an Iranian-British musician, has taught the group to sing Persian songs and accompanies them with her instrument. The Love Music group is one of the most recognized examples of a recently widespread method in Britain, where ordinary people with singing talent are invited to join the choir and perform after completing a training course. The training of this group is conducted by prominent musicians who aim to bring music into the everyday lives of people. A renewed look at Iranian women's clothing The Edinburgh Iranian Festival this year has, for the first time, embraced a fashion and jewelry exhibition. In this year's fashion section, Naghmeh Kioumarthi, one of the pioneers of postmodern Iranian clothing design, is present. The 'Zarir Design Group,' one of the well-known women's clothing design groups in Tehran, showcases its works on the festival's fashion show (catwalk). Diba Mehrabi, an Iranian designer residing in London, also displays her works, and Sepideh Ahadi, a Berlin-based clothing designer, brings her experiences to Edinburgh. A roundtable discussion on contemporary Iranian design is held, particularly focusing on the influence of modern clothing design from pre-Islamic Iranian clothing and folk clothing. Additionally, a session titled 'Beyond the Chador' is held, where Dr. Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood discusses the transformations in clothing and fashion design in Iran and the mutual influences of urban and rural clothing. Sara Khordmand, the festival's founder, says, 'I am happy that over five years, the festival has transformed from a kind of non-professional student project into a large and exciting festival. A transformation that would not have been possible without the open and inquisitive minds of the people of Scotland.'