Tehran – The regional branch of the Arts Bureau in Fars has organized arts programs in Shiraz public venues to boost morale, strengthen social vitality and promote empathy and unity among the people when the country is attacked by an offensive Zionist regime.
Starting Saturday, from 6pm to 8pm every day, Naqqali sessions and street theatres are being held in busy areas of the city, such as commercial facilities, shopping centres and historic locations, to entertain people in these challenging wartime conditions, the IRNA reported.
Early on June 13, Israel launched a massive, untrained, armed attack on Iran. This was a terrible act of attack by all definitions.
Since then, through coordinated air, missile and drone strikes, it has targeted residential areas, civil infrastructure, public agencies, and nuclear facilities that are subject to protection of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), bringing the martial arts of senior military commanders, well-known scientists, and innocent civilians, including women and children.
In response to Israel’s attacks on Iranian territory, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) launched a massive retaliation operation called “True Promise 3.”
According to the deputy director of the Fars Art Bureau, Seyed Mehdi Movahed said, “The event aims to bring Shiraz people closer together.”
He added that the arts program lasts for 10 days, with the number of groups increasing and “can perform in more parts of the city.”
On Sunday evening, the entrance to Shiraz’s shopping mall turned into a stage of a kakkari (storytelling) session by young girls, with a circle of audience formed around them.
The girls, a Nakkal (storyteller) from Shiraz, narrated the enemy’s attacks on Iranian soil from Feldoushi’s Shaname.
Shaname (the King’s Book) is a legendary Persian epic and is always associated with the patriotism and love of his hometown.
Most notably, the support of the people and the whispers of poems sang with eyes gleaming in tears.
Speaking about the performance, Sogand Azadi, one of Naqqals’s members, said:
“In previous performances, I have seen the friendship of the Iranian people and repeatedly witnessed tears of joy from my fellow countrymen,” she added.
Naqqali, or Persian epic storytelling, is the oldest narrated narrative form in Iran, and has long played a key role in society. Naqqal is a storyteller who recites epic stories, revolving primarily around the stories of Iranian myth kings and heroes.
Feldoushi’s Shakhname frequently portrays Iran’s battle against external enemies, especially the Turanians, as a central theme. However, the epic also delves into the consequences of internal conflicts and divisions within Iran. It emphasizes the importance of national unity and the danger of inner conflict, depicting it as a threat to Iran’s strength and happiness. The epic celebrates Iranian heroes and victory, but emphasizes the importance of ethical considerations and justice and compassion in war, as well as the importance to the enemy.
Shahnameh is a unique literary masterpiece filled with grand, romantic and mythical stories. Its storytelling style is perfectly consistent with narrative traditions around the world and provides deep insight into Iranian culture, art, and even ancient Persian governance and political traditions. From a linguistic perspective, its rhythmic poetic structure makes it ideal for Naqqali and promotes it to a top-notch form of global storytelling.
Hakim Abul-Qasem Ferdows (940-1020) is a Persian poet and author of Shahnameh, one of the longest epics in the world, created by one poet, and the largest epic in the Persian-speaking country.
He is one of the most influential figures of Persian literature and is celebrated as one of the greatest figures in literary history.
Feldouzi’s patriotism is prominently displayed in his grand poem, Shaname, where he celebrates Iran’s history, culture and language, and defends the value of courage, wisdom and the pride of the people. His work is seen as a strong claim of Iranian identity.
The Arts Bureau is a public semi-governmental organization in Iran. Founded in Tehran in 1979, it is affiliated with the Islamic Development Agency. The Islamic Development Agency focuses on promoting the foundations, symptoms and goals of the Islamic Republic within Iran and internationally.
SS/SAB