I saw Saeed Kangarani in my dream. I panicked and offered my condolences for his passing. He gave a bitter smile and said nothing. I was about to ask him a question about Ms. Googoosh when I saw Abbas Salehi, the Minister of Culture, approaching from a distance. Kangarani said, 'I can't stand these people anymore. I've tolerated them for 40 years, that's enough. Goodbye!' and flew away. Salehi had reached me. I said, 'Couldn't you have come two minutes later so I could chat a bit with Kangarani?' He looked surprised and said, 'Who is Kangarani?' I replied, 'Nothing, just don't bother yourself. By the way, what was this issue about Mohammad Motamedi being banned?' He said, 'Who is Mohammad Motamedi?' I asked, 'Are you sure you're the Minister of Culture?' He laughed and said, 'My body is Abbas Salehi, the Minister of Culture, but my soul is Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization,' and laughed heartily. I said, 'Then your soul!' He frowned and asked, 'So who was that guy you mentioned?' I impatiently said, 'You banned Mohammad Motamedi because you gave him permission to hold a concert at Park Ab-o-Atash.' He said, 'Oh! Is that what you mean? I explained that he was mistakenly banned.' I asked, 'But how can someone be mistakenly banned?' He replied, 'One of our colleagues in the artistic department, considering Motamedi's nose resembling Abi's, had cautiously banned him, but thankfully the issue has been resolved.' I said, 'I wish you would at least tell your employees to examine artists' noses more carefully. After all, Abi's nose is one thing, and the noses of the entire music community in the country are another.' Abbas Salehi, the Minister of Culture, burst into laughter, and as he laughed, he began to disintegrate and was turning into someone else. I was happy and thought he might be turning into Abi, but a moment later, to my complete regret and sorrow, General Naqdi, the cultural-social deputy of the IRGC, was standing in front of me. I took a defensive stance. He twirled his usual chafiye around his head and threw it at me, which, by God's permission, wrapped around me like a net, and I turned into a prancing deer in a hunter's net. I know you might feel nauseated by my comparison to a deer, but the realities must be told. I overcame my fear and asked, 'General, you recently said the Shah was a homosexual, gambler, adulterer, and drug trafficker who slept with the wives of all the generals. Is that true?' He said, 'God is great, what eloquence and politeness in my speech!' I quickly replied, 'It tore from your speech from my feet to my mouth!' He was impressed by my quick response and smiled. I got bold and asked, 'What's your style, General?' He said, 'Insults from above, other matters from below.' I quickly said, 'Everyone is mesmerized, from San Francisco to Naein.' He burst into laughter, and moments later, his chafiye, by God's permission, unraveled from around me and turned into a zebra, and General Naqdi jumped on it and rode away. When I came to my senses, I found myself watching a wrestling match on the prestigious Manoto network between Reza Haghighatnejad (in a costume that said 'Why Tire? Only IranWire') and Ali Alizadeh (with a headband saying 'My life for the leader'). My eyes fell on the $150 fee for participating in the debate that Alizadeh had placed under his costume, and I woke up shouting, 'Long live you, brave one, God strengthen you, champion.' In this context, with Kofi Annan's mother at the mourning ceremony of the government delegation, 'From these, from these' with Misbah and Shariati, and Deka with baklava at the confidential meeting of the station tomorrow with Farshid Manafi, paradox with Kambez Hosseini, and justification of issues with Jalal Saidi.
With Abi's Nose and Chafiye, نقدی and Wrestling on 'Manoto'
The article presents a surreal dream involving cultural figures in Iran, highlighting a humorous yet critical conversation about censorship and the absurdities within the Iranian cultural landscape. Key figures include Minister of Culture Abbas Salehi and General Naqdi, reflecting on the arbitrary nature of bans on artists like Mohammad Motamedi. This matters as it underscores the tensions between artistic expression and state control in Iran.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
The article describes a surreal dream involving cultural figures in Iran, focusing on a humorous yet critical dialogue about the arbitrary censorship of artists like Mohammad Motamedi. It showcases the absurdities of state control over cultural expression.
- Minister Salehi humorously discusses a mistaken ban on artist Mohammad Motamedi.
- General Naqdi's controversial remarks about the Shah reflect ongoing tensions in Iranian cultural discourse.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
Iran has a complex relationship with artistic expression, often marked by censorship and state intervention. Cultural figures frequently navigate a landscape where their work is subject to government scrutiny.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →
Translation confidence: 85%