Welcome back! - IMVBox offer, and Narges Ashtari, a British-Iranian charity worker, needs our support

[SOAS Iranian Society]

Dear all,

Welcome back, and Happy New Year!

Promotional offer: IMVBox

SOAS Iranian Society has kindly been offered a partnership with IMVBox, which enables our members to legally watch hundreds of Iranian movies online for 30 days as an IMVBox Plus member.

To claim this offer click here: https://www.imvbox.com/promo/soas-iranian-society

You can find the access code on the promotional flyer attached.

IMVBox is an online distribution platform offering free and subscription content streaming over the internet. It is the only platform in the world that exclusively showcases Iranian content, licensing and distributing the very best feature film, television series, documentary, animation and short film.

* * Petition for Narges Kalbasi Ashtari * *

Narges is a British-Iranian charity worker that moved to Odisha, India in 2011 where she helped to establish two orphanages, and later her own NGO in 2014. She has since become the victim of local criminals and an extremely unjust and corrupt system, with a false case of manslaughter having been made against her.

Please have a read through and sign her petition: https://www.change.org/p/sushma-swaraj-minister-of-external-affairs-foreigner-aid-worder-accused-of-murder-stop-this-inhumane-treatment-of-narges-k-ashtari

Some further background on her case can be found here: http://globalnews.ca/news/3116292/former-vancouver-resident-convicted-of-manslaughter-in-india/?sf48726253=1

Yarshater Lecture Series in Persian Art

Date: 12 - 17 January 2017
Time: 19:00
Room: Khalili Lecture Theatre (KLT)

FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/1235013889914849/

A series of four lectures on Four Central Asian Shrines: Islamic Architecture in Society by Robert D. McChesney, Emeritus Professor, Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, New York University in which he will examine the architectural development of four major Central Asian shrines found today in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan and relate the development to their social and political contexts.

Further info & programme (PDF): https://www.soas.ac.uk/art/islac/file117195.pdf

Organised by: Department of the History of Art and Archaeology, School of Arts, SOAS and the London Middle East Institute (LMEI)
Sponsored by: Persian Heritage Foundation (New York)

Obituary: Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani

Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was one of the founding figures of the Islamic Republic after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. He is reported to have died yesterday (Sunday, 08 January) from a heart attack, at the age of 82. His sudden death has taken many Iranians by surprise, with most considering it to be the end of an era in post-revolutionary Iran.

For more see the obtiuaries below.

Associated Press: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/01/08/world/middleeast/ap-ml-iran-rafsanjani.html
BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22494982
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/08/akbar-hashemi-rafsanjani-obituary

Open Letter to President-elect, Donald Trump

An open letter to Donald J. Trump by Iranian-American artists, scientists, business leaders, human rights defenders and pro-democracy activists.

See here: https://medium.com/@LetterToTrump/letter-to-president-elect-trump-99eae327c01a#.vm28d5taw

Bonyad Jaleh Esfahani Annual Event: A tribute to Shadab Vajdi

Date: Saturday, 14 January

Time: 18:30

Venue: Brunei Gallery, SOAS

 *Please note that all proceedings will be in Persian*

This event is dedicated to Dr Shadab Vajdi, a poet and scholar. Poets Esmail Khoi, Shirin Razavian and Hadi Khorsandi as well as Shadab Vajdi herself will be give talks and read poems. In addition, there wil also be satire by Haroon Yousofi, the well-known Afghan satirist, and the Ahoura ensemble will entertain us with Persian music.

Contact: para...@gmail.com

Organised by: Bonyad Jaleh Esfahan

Exhibition: Nasim Nabavizadeh

Date: 14 - 20 January

Private viewing: Tuesday, 17 January
Time: 18:30 - 20:30
Venue: Posk Gallery, 238-246 King Street, London W6 0RF

See attached flyer.

Hosted by: POSK Gallery

Course: Persian Calligraphy, Nasta'liq Script

Date: 16 January - 27 March
Time: 18:30 - 20:30
Location: London Middle East Institue, MBI Al Jaber Building, 21 Russell Square, London WC1B 5EA

This ten-week course is suitable for all levels, from beginners to advanced. Although, previous knowledge of Persian language is not necessary for beginners, familiarity with the alphabets is an advantage. This is an exercise-based course on the writing techniques of the Nasta'liq script which is constantly engaged with Persian language and literature... (read more)

Further info: https://www.soas.ac.uk/lmei/events/16jan2017-persian-calligraphy-nastaliq-script.html

Organised by: London Middle East Institute (LMEI) at SOAS

And finally for anyone that happens to be in New York City this week:

The Katie Halper Show: The Media under Trump

Date: Wednesday, 11 January
Time: 19:00 (EST)
Location: The Brooklyn Commons, 388 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217 (USA)

FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/1190832977697158/

This month's live taping of The Katie Halper show looks at the role of the media under Trump and what exactly the resistance means. Abby Martin (TeleSUR's Empire Files creator), Mike Prysner (TeleSUR's Empire Files producer) Nando VIla (Fusion correspondent), and Sam Alcoff (DemocracyNow! producer) talk to Katie and co-host Gabe Pacheco and and take questions from the audience.

Organised by: The Katie Halper Show

I think that's it for now... If not, call it brain fog.

Take care all.

Best,

Aki Elborzi
soas.i...@gmail.com
https://groups.google.com/group/soas-iranian-society
http://www.facebook.com/pages/SOAS-Iranian-Society/154877127876306