March 16, 2021 T. S. Eliot (American poet ) 8 I read, much of the night, and go south in the winter. Arts & Culture

License Holder: Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) Managing Director: Touraj Shiralilou Persian poet Parvin E’tesami Editor-in-Chief: Kambakhsh Khalaji Editorial Dept. Tel: +98 21 88755761-2 Editorial Dept. Fax: +98 21 88761869 commemorated Subscription Dept. Tel: +98 21 88748800 ICPI Publisher: +98 21 88548892, 5 Advertising Dept. Tel & Email: +98 21 88500617 - [email protected] Compiled from Dispatches We b s it e : www.irandaily.ir newspaper.irandaily.ir March 15 marks Parvin E’tesami Day in to commemorate Email: [email protected] Iran Cultural & Press Institute one of the most famous Iranian female poets, the first major Printing House: Iranian poetess of the 20th Address: Iran Cultural & Press Institute, #208 Khorramshahr Avenue -Iran century. Iran Daily has no responsibility whatsoever for the advertisements and promotional material printed in the newspaper. Based on her adherence to traditional literature, she composed poems with moral, educational, reli- gious, political and social themes. Rakhshandeh E’tesami, IIraniansranians ttoo mmarkark FFestivalestival ooff FFireire who is better known as Parvin E’tesami, was born on March 17, 1907, in Ta- illions of Iranians make bonfires on the briz. She was the daugh- last Tuesday evening of the Iranian cal- ter of Yousef E’tesami Mendar year and jump over the fire until Ashtiani, a writer and MEHR NEWS AGENCY midnight to observe (Festival translator, Mehr News Agency wrote. of Fire), on the eve of the last Wednesday of the Yousef E’tesami was elected as the representative of the year. people of in the National Assembly. Therefore, Parvin Families and friends gather to light bonfires had to move to Tehran with her family early in life. and keep them lit until dawn. As a child, Parvin became acquainted with constitutional- In this ancient custom, they sing: “Sorkhie to ists and cultural figures and learned literature with her father az man, zardie man az to,” which means: “I give and with masters such as Ali-Akbar Dehkhoda and Moham- my illness (yellowness) to the fire and receive mad-Taqi Bahar. wellbeing (redness) from the fire.” In addition to formal schooling at the Iran Bethel School in In this fire festival, ordinary people pile tinder Tehran and graduating in 1924, Parvin learned Persian and Ar- from bushes and pieces of wood in public places abic from her father. She excelled as a student throughout her such as streets, alleys, and squares, and set them school years and even taught English language and literature alight. The intention is to hope for enlightenment at the same school. Parvin also wrote poems while studying. and happiness throughout the coming year. For her graduation, she wrote the poem, ‘A Twig of a Wish’ Many different traditions are followed on this about the struggles facing Iranian women and the need for night in different cities of Iran. Jumping over the their education. fire and buying a special mix of sweet and sour The first edition of her divan (book of collected poetry) nuts (mixed with raisins and other sweet things) consisted of 156 poems and appeared in 1935. After the publi- is done in almost every city of Iran. It is believed cation of the first edition of her divan, she worked for several that eating these nuts on Chaharshanbe Suri will months at today’s Kharazmi University, in 1938-39. make your wishes come true. During Parvin E’tesami’s life, the government awarded One of the fun activities is jumping over the scientists, scholars and great men of science and literature bonfire on this night. Men and women cover medals of merit; a medal that is a sign of gratitude and respect their faces in order not to be recognized, and go from the government for the scientific and cultural services of to their neighbor’s doors making noise by hitting the person in question. on a bowl with a spoon to notify the members of In 1936, Parvin was awarded a third-degree Medal of Art the house. When the residents hear the noise, one and Culture, but she did not accept the medal. She did not of them comes to the door, gets the bowl, fills it even accept Reza Pahlavi’s offer to become the tutor of with ash (Persian soup) or candy and returns it to the royal family. the person. The act is known as qashoq zani. The second edition of her book appeared shortly after her death in 1941. It consisted of 209 different compositions, to- IRNA taling 5606 distiches. During Parvin’s life, factors such as her father, her father’s friends, and most importantly, the political and then social de- IIran’sran’s ‘‘Weekend’Weekend’ wwinsins aatt 226th6th velopments in Iranian society, had influenced her personality and thought. HHongong KongKong FilmFilm AwardsAwards

The Iranian short film, ‘Weekend,’ won the section for Iranian films as well as the Tryon Best Short Film award at the 26th Hong Kong International Film Festival in North Carolina, Film Awards. the US. Directed by Ariyo Motevaqeh, ‘Weekend’ ‘Weekend’ has previously won the Grave- narrates the story of two families that have gone yard Shift Award from the Nashville Film Fes- on an outing to the park, but it turns out that tival and the Best Fiction Short Film Award they are there for something else. from the artistic events of Sedicicorto and The film previously was screened at the Tryon. competition section of the 51st Nashville In- Moreover, the special award of the Interna- ternational Film Festival in Tennessee, the 17th tional Festival of One Shot in Armenia has been Sedicicorto International Film Festival in the given to ‘Weekend’. ISNA NNewew sstudiestudies ttoo examineexamine racialracial iinequalitynequality iinn UUKK aartrt aandnd mmusicusic

Leading equal rights organizations in the review, to be published in autumn 2021, cus particularly on key stages three and project, led by Freelands Foundation and MEHR NEWS AGENCY Tomb of Parvin E’tesami in Qom, central Iran UK announced a landmark research com- will map the representation of people of four, when students are aged 11 to 16. Runnymede Trust, will lend important mission into racial inequality in the art BAME artists, curators and organization- Halima Begum, the director of the data and evidence to the thus-far sparse Parvin was acquainted with Western classical literature sector, as a new organization called Black al leadership. Runnymede Trust, said: “Our school stu- study of equity and inclusion in the UK due to her father’s job as a political figure. Literary meetings Lives in Music also aims to tackle racial art sector.” in which Yousef E’tesami participated played an important inequality in the music industry. The announcement of the commission part in shaping Parvin’s political views. Her presence at Iran The Runnymede Trust, a race equal- comes as Black Lives in Music, which Bethel School also made her familiar with Western ideas and ity think tank, and Freelands Foundation will support black musicians and bring women’s issues in the West. have partnered to deliver the first major about increased representation and par- Her poetry follows the classical Persian tradition in its form commission into how Black, Asian and ticipation in the music industry, launches. and substance, in perhaps a deliberate defiance in the face of Minority Ethnic (BAME) students are ex- The organization wants to address the modernistic trends in Persian poetry that were becoming cluded from art education, the Guardian the lack of data on the everyday reality popular in her time. wrote. for black musicians in the UK with the Parvin’s poems include issues such as oppression, anti- They hope the initiative will be a cata- Black Lives in Music survey, which will poverty, justice and idealism. Her poetry expressed the pain lyst of structural change in the sector, look into the issues black creatives’ face, of poverty and exploitation and called on the masses to revolt where despite the success of individual including racial discrimination, mental against transgressors. Her poetry articulated the social discord artists such as Steve McQueen and Lubai- health, wellbeing and economic dispar- of her time and posited that the eternal war between good and na Himid, only 2.7 percent of the work- ity. The results of the survey will be pub- evil is a product of the human mind. Many of Parvin’s poems force come from a BAME background. lished in an annual report in May 2021. express her criticism of kings and the tyranny of the powerful; In 2017, the Department for Education Black Lives in Music’s co-founder many have a narrative content in which Parvin brings the de- recorded that children in UK schools – of and chief executive, Charisse Beaumont, bate between two things in the form of a story. whom 31 percent were categorized as mi- said: “We are bringing together all black A book of poetry by E’tesami was translated into French by nority ethnic – were introduced to visual musicians and music professionals for Iranian translator Jalal Alavinia and published in France. art by teachers who were 94 percent white. JONATHAN BRADY/PA this research in order to create change. A woman walks past Lubaina Himid’s artwork ‘Five Conversations’ in Regent’s Park, London. The book bears a preface by eminent Iranian poet of the The Runnymede Trust will deliver Your participation will make this data, early 20th century, Mohammad-Taqi Bahar, and was released a two-year research program and ask It will also investigate art education in dents are a blank canvas. It is imperative which currently doesn’t exist, the most by Hartmann Publishing which earlier presented a collection whether young people see their diversity secondary schools and gather data around they are able to see and appreciate di- powerful dataset about black musicians titled, ‘Iran in Transition,’ which includes works by Iranian reflected in the art industry and how this racial inequalities among students, teach- versity in art. With representation comes in the world which will be used to drive writers and poets. shapes their engagement. A sector-wide ers, and within the curriculum. It will fo- inspiration, and I have no doubt that this positive and lasting change.”