Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.
RFL/RE – A group of Iranian artists has called on the country’s cultural figures to reject the legitimacy of the Islamic republic’s “unjust” Ministry of Guidance and produce their works, including exhibitions, book and magazine publications, and film productions without seeking permission.
“We request all artists, writers, publishers, and those involved in Iranian films and TV shows not to recognize the cultural monitoring and control institutions and stand against the unjust…power of the censorship apparatus,” the Art/Culture/Action group said in a statement that was circulated on social media on May 16.
The Art/Culture/Action group, which describes itself on Instagram as being comprised of a number of Iranian arts and cultural practitioners, says it was formed to support professional, political, and civil freedoms in the Iranian arts. Its activities highlight the fight for freedom of expression and the liberation of artistic and intellectual creation from censorship in Iran.
The statement has been widely distributed on social media, including through the Twitter accounts of notable figures such as painter Parastou Forouhar and artist Barbad Golshiri.
The statement further criticizes the regulations of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, as well as what it calls other “repressive and censorship apparatuses.”
“Reclaiming the right to freedom of expression and being, and the liberation of artistic and intellectual creation from censorship, which has been fought for for years, is widely and deeply on display in the progressive movement of Women, Life, Aand Freedom,” the statement says, a reference to the current movement protesting across the country to demand more rights and freedoms in Iran.
“Now and following this movement, the Iranian artistic community has shown that it no longer obeys the regulations of the aggressive institutions of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Islamic republic and other repression and censorship institutions,” the statement added.
It also notes “the shared name of ‘guidance’ between the ministry and the group that was holding 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody for an alleged hijab violation — the so-called Guidance Patrol — when she died in Tehran in September 2022.
In the wake of nationwide protests following Amini’s death, many writers and artists have expressed their support for the demonstrations.
Many have also refused to cooperate further with the Ministry of Guidance. Notably, renowned writer Mostafa Mastoor publicly declared his refusal to comply with the censorship notices for his new book.
Reports have also emerged of a boycott of the Tehran Book Fair by publishers and the public at large.
Last November, during the peak of protests in the country, 250 Iranian translators issued a joint statement pledging to publish censored books without restrictions while a month later more than 60 Iranian poets and writers announced their intention to publish literary works without censorship.
Internationally, campaigns have been launched to boycott the Islamic republic in cultural arenas. Over 500 writers, artists, academics, and cultural activists worldwide have signed a statement calling for the boycott of the Islamic republic in the global artistic, cultural, and academic fields.
