I’m generally a live and let live kind of guy who understands that there many cultures in the world, and they don’t all have to resemble ours. However, this is unacceptable to me.
Tehran is the seat where most of Iran’s artistic community resides and hopes to one day thrive, despite the tremendous censorship restrictions regarding who can perform and under which circumstances. Navigating these restrictions has become an art form itself, while social media sites (at least those that are allowed) are continuously monitored. Iran has very strict censorship rules regarding women’s appearance, and which topics are permitted to be discussed openly. Anything cultural or artistic that has the intention of being presented to the masses must first receive authorization and approval from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance before it can proceed into production. Plays, novels, videos, films and songs all are subject to scrutiny, and which ones are ultimately approved or dismissed is often decided by an arbitrary stroke of an official’s pen.
I’m not ready to send our kids halfway around the world to liberate the playwrights of Tehran, but I am willing to say that there is something wrong with their government and the people there have the right to demand their freedoms. A government that is afraid of artistic expression is not a valid government.