Iran as Trump doesn’t know it
For the last 46 years our image of Iran has been of a poor and militarized country, hostile to the rest of the world, ruled by right-wing, authoritarian, religiously bigoted, misogynistic men, who govern by violence against citizens and outsiders alike.
Most of that image rings true, apart from its poverty. Iran is rich – not in the way its neighbouring Gulf countries are rich with the proceeds of oil, but in the depth of its ancient culture. If we consider the word in its full context, it is the most “developed” country in the region.
Part of that wealth is in its music, promoted strongly by expatriate organizations, such as the Farhang Foundation in California, who present a quartet of men and women playing a Persian song from the nineteenth century, based on the work of the thirteenth century poet Sa’di.
You can follow much more Iranian music, classic and contemporary, from the foundation’s website.
