SOAS Iranian Society 2017-18 - Welcome!

[SOAS Iranian Society]

Dear all,

Belated welcome (or welcome back!) to SOAS for 2017-18!

Thank you to those of you that signed upto the SOAS Iranian Society at the Freshers Fair a couple of weeks ago or through the Students' Union website. My apologies for the week or so delay in trying to get things moving - We're currently without a full committee, but i have re-registered the society with the SU and we have been given a budget for this academic year!

A little bit about us, SOAS Iranian Society has been active since October 2010 and acts as an open and friendly platform for all things Iran-related. The society is an informal and voluntarily run network that aims to bring together those who share an interest in Iran and Iranian culture at SOAS and beyond. We also aim to network with our counter-parts at nearby London universities in addition to organizations based in the wider Iranian community.

I'll be running this email bulletin as regularly as i can which will contain info on various Iranian events in and around SOAS along with some other relevant inputs, but before things can get rolling on campus for 2017-18 we need a couple of committed and enthusiastic SOAS students that would like to take on being events co-organizers to host things like film screenings and other activities on campus, arrange a meet-up at an Iranian restaurant, plan for Norooz (Persian New Year) etc - or whatever else you'd like to arrange! So if you're interested in that, please email me back and i will help get you set-up asap!

Im also open to anyone hosting one-off events through us if you need room bookings and some promotional support, so if you dont have the time to commit regularly but do want to host the odd event on campus with our help that should not be a problem either!

Ok, i know all about what short attention spans our SOAS email inbox often leaves us all with so i'll stop there! Below you'll find a few events coming up soon in 'the neighbourhood' (kind of...) and some other items of interest. If you prefer to bookmark these through your browser, you can find this and all of our other bulletins here: https://groups.google.com/group/soas-iranian-society

Film Screening: Dingomaro - Iran's Black South (2014)

To commemorate Black History Month in the UK, watch Dingomaro (2014) exclusively on Underline until Tuesday 24th October for free!

Film link: https://vimeo.com/237387671 (Expires: 24 October 2017)

FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/149026372504111/

Synopsis: Since his Internet hit, "Bad Shans" (hard luck), Hamid Said has become one of the most famous black musicians in Iran. He’s travelling by motorbike across the province of Hormozgan, which is situated in the South of the country on the Persian Gulf, in order to realize his dream. He wants to organize a concert with the best black musicians in the country.

Besides Persians, Indians, Arabs and Europeans, the province of Hormozgan, Iran’s “black south” has been influenced primarily by the descendants of slaves and merchants from Africa. Although Shiites, they still hold Voodoo ceremonies just as their African ancestors did and wakes in Hormozgan are more reminiscent of scenes from New Orleans, with the mourners dancing in an elated and joyous manner to black rhythms.

Organised by: The British Council (Iran) and Underline Magazine (Flyer attached)

The Iran Deal: Its State and Fate

Date: Monday, 16 October
Time: 18:30 - 20:00
Location: Room K2.31 (Nash Lecture Theatre), King's College London (Strand Campus), London WC2R 2LS

FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/274186869733501/

Two years since its implementation, the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is in question. Both American and Iranian officials complain that ‘the spirit of the deal’ has been violated, with Iranian proxies as active as ever in the Middle East and a new set of sanctions imposed on Iran in July. Even compliance is a contentious question: Although the International Atomic Energy Agency maintains that Iran has met its obligations and provided inspectors with access to its facilities, the United States continues to suspect Iran of deceiving the international community. Taking place one day after the Donald Trump administration must decide whether to certify Iranian compliance, KCL MENA Forum’s first event of the 2017-2018 academic year considers how the Iran deal has fared and whether it will survive the year.

* Seating is limited and is first-come first-serve.

Organised by: KCL Middle East and North Africa Forum

Concert: Sacred Unity

Date: Saturday, 28 October
Time: 19:30
Venue: Cadogan Hall, 5 Sloane Terrace, London SW1X 9DQ

FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/577343875988847/

A unique evening of Persian symphonic music in collaboration with the Ishirini Choir, under the baton of Babak Kazemi. Celebrating poems by the 10th-, 13th- and 14th-century Persian poets Ferdowsi, Rumi and Hafez, set to the exuberant symphonic world of mysticism, romance and nostalgia, where every profound word and insightful rhyme translates into music.

Tickets: http://www.cadoganhall.com/event/sacred-unity-171028/ (Flyer attached)
Organised by: Light of Music

UK Iranian Film Festival

Date: 21 October - 01 November 2017
Venue: Ciné Lumière, Institut français du Royaume-Uni, 17 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2DT

'From Paris to Tehran, the South of France to Italy, it’s all about the journey with the London Iranian Film Festival at Ciné Lumière! So, pack your bags and explore the Iranian culture and identity across borders!'

Programme:

BEFORE SUMMER ENDS (2017) - Friday, 21 October

WALKING ON STRING (2017) - Saturday, 28 October

YELLOW (2017) - Saturday, 28 October

THE HUMAN COMEDY (2017) - Sunday, 29 October

HOUSE OF PAPER (2017) - Monday, 30 October

ITALIA ITALIA (2017) - Tuesday, 31 October

UNDER THE SMOKY ROOF (2017) - Wednesday, 01 November

Organised by: UKIFF

Report: Wasted Youth - Children's Rights in Iran

Whether arising from the ongoing environmental catastrophe, economic malaise, political closedness or geopolitical isolation, the issues facing Iran’s leaders are urgent. In the end, though, the problems affecting Iran hit the poorest and most marginal groups in society the hardest, and young people harder still. Wasted Youth casts light upon the ongoing hardships endured by children in Iran, and showcases some of the bold initiatives that are being developed by civil society organisations to help children to overcome the obstacles they face.

Read more: https://smallmedia.org.uk/work/wasted-youth-childrens-rights-in-iran
Released by: Small Media

And lastly something for our Italian friends and those interested in Italian literature:

Festival of Italian Literature in London (FILL)

Date: 21 - 22 October
Venue: The Print Room, 103 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3LB

FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/1241468599291127/

The FILL - Festival of Italian Literature in London is a festival of literature and ideas envisioned by the London-based Italian literary community and is organised by a group of London-based Italian authors, journalists, and academics, along with the Italian Cultural Institute London.

FILL will feature 2 days of events, over 30 speakers, authors and thinkers from different backgrounds, established authors and younger radical ones. Italian, British, and international voices will discuss migration, politics, the present and future of London, Italy, gender, and how Brexit is already affecting novels and poems. The Festival wants to attract all Londoners and all events will be in English or Italian with consecutive translation.

Full programme & Tickets: http://fill.org.uk/events/ (Flyer attached)
Organised by: FILL - Festival of Italian Literature in London

Alrite my people, if it's any consolation that took me a lot longer to write-up on a Sunday night than it will take you to skim through.. ;}

Have a good week 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