Minister of Culture: The Continuation of Work for Some Musicians Depends on the Views of Authorities

The Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance stated that the problems faced by some artists are due to the 'views' expressed by certain 'authorities' about them. Abbas Salehi made this remark in an interview with the ILNA news agency on Tuesday, December 4, without naming these authorities, adding: 'Our effort is to seek a reconsideration and change in perspective from these authorities regarding those who have been and are active in the field of art.' He referred to what he called the continuation of 'mutual dialogues' with these 'authorities', and when asked about the results of these dialogues so far, he said: 'These dialogues have certainly been hopeful, and we are trying.' Salehi made these statements in response to ILNA's inquiry about clarifying the 'official position of the Ministry' regarding certain musicians such as 'Hossein Zaman, Arya Aramnejad, and Hooman Khalatbari, who are eager to return to the country and the official work sphere.' While the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance has announced dialogues to resolve the issues of musicians in Iran, in August of this year, a group of music professionals gathered at the House of Music and sent a letter to Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, protesting against the 'illegal cancellation of concerts' in the country. According to ISNA news agency and these artists, the illegal cancellation of concerts has peaked in recent years, particularly during the eleventh government, and protests in this regard have led nowhere. The letter requested the government to transparently inform about the processes that lead to the cancellation of concerts. The conflict between the government and judicial authorities over the holding of music concerts has recently reached a peak in Mashhad. Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda, the representative of the Supreme Leader in Razavi Khorasan Province, has repeatedly opposed the holding of concerts in the cities of this province and has even stated that he opposes concerts 'across the country.' This opposition from the Friday Prayer Imam of Mashhad came at a time when Ebrahim Raisi, his son-in-law and the candidate he supported in the twelfth presidential election, met with Amir Hossein Maqsoudloo, known as 'Tataloo', one of the controversial underground singers in Iran. Meanwhile, ILNA reported the resumption of activities by Majid Derakhshani, a musician and composer, after a three-year hiatus in his activities within Iran. According to this report, Mr. Derakhshani, along with a group of musicians from southern Iran, began his concert tour from Khuzestan and is also set to perform a concert in collaboration with Hosameddin Sarraj. He also mentioned that regarding the resolution of the prohibition on holding concerts in provinces other than Tehran, 'from a certain date onwards, we really did not face any problems holding concerts in the counties, and our friends would refer to the provincial Ministry of Culture for permits, and fortunately, there were no issues.'