The demonstrations that have been shaking Tehran and the rest of the Islamic republic for weeks are among the most serious since the cultural revolution of 1979. Women are asking for freedom and they are not the only ones taking to the streets against the Raisi government and the supreme guide. ‘ayatollah Khamenei.
This great ferment starts from afar, but has grown exponentially after the death of the very young Masha Amini, guilty of simply wearing the Islamic veil badly. The whole world reacted to the Iranian affair, and among those who can testify and spread the message of the protest are the exiled citizens, with the three musician brothers of the Barbad Project.
Barbad is a multi-ethnic and cosmopolitan musical ensemble, born from the idea of three boys from Tehran and transplanting to Italy. Their idea was to combine characteristic elements of Persian traditional music with European classical culture, creating a bridge between cultures, worlds and histories. Barbad has welcomed up to 70 musicians from all over the world, each with his own story to tell and his instrument as a voice.
The project has existed for several years, but recently launched an initiative: a short video published on its social channels, which talks about Iran, the protest, the wind of change that sweeps the country and sweeps away pages of history. : «We want freedom, nothing else – explains RM, one of the founding members of the group -. Our country is rich, there are all the resources necessary to live well, except freedom. Even in music all this is evident: before releasing a song in Iran there is a group of people who decide for you. The veil for women is the most striking example ».
RM was born in Iran and came to our country 15 years ago to be able to study, graduating in Musicology at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”. His brothers accompanied him on the journey and graduated from the Santa Cecilia conservatory. The three, with the help of an Italian singer and an Algerian cellist, gave life to the project. Barbad is a talking name: it derives from the Persian musician of the Sassanid era, who lived during the reign of Cosroe II, from 590 to 628 AD, whose talent and skill are lost in history and legend.
“I was a musician on Iranian state TV. I have been working there for 12 years. My brothers were in the Tehran Symphony Orchestra. They were good jobs, but we came to Italy to learn new things. We created Barbad together, which is neither an orchestra nor a band. The idea is very fluid, we can call anyone to play with us, even if the core is made up of five people: the three of us plus an Italian singer and an Algerian cellist. The last thing we did surprised me because there was a great participation, more than 70 musicians ”.
Precisely to raise awareness as many people as possible about what is happening in Iran, the three brothers have done a mammoth job: bringing together 70 musicians from 11 different countries to play a song, entitled Sad Easternwhich wants to show the beauty and fragility that the Middle East is currently experiencing.
The authors of the project prefer that their name is not widespread, because they believe it can be a danger to the safety of friends and relatives who still live in Iran. When asked how the protests will evolve, the difficulty of making predictions becomes evident, because we are faced with a unicum in history: “No one is able to see what will happen, but the situation is much more serious than in the past. The whole world is not protesting: important people support us, everyone talks about it. Such a thing had never happened before. My friends say that the internet does not work because the government interrupts it at alternating intervals, but nevertheless I know that there are many every day on the street and in the squares and in the streets, asking for only one thing: freedom ”.