Hidden Histories #3 – Siyah Zibast, Black is beautiful
With Siyah Zibast, Black is beautiful, the Collective for Black Iranians invites you for a conversation about the importance of language in identity formation and in seeing ourselves.
SOAS Decolonising Working Group (DWG)
Hidden Histories
A seminar series curated by the Library Decolonisation Operational Group, led by Farzana Qureshi, Dr. Ludi Price, Amma Poku and Angelica Baschiera
Hidden Histories seeks to highlight stories from African, Caribbean and Asian communities in the UK and beyond, bringing to light a shared vision of decolonising knowledge production, and documenting the unique voices and experiences of diasporas in Britain and across the world.
Tuesday 25th January 2022 at 5pm-6.30pm (GMT)
Venue: Online (Zoom – Registration)
Title: Siyah Zibast, Black is beautiful
With Siyah Zibast, Black is beautiful, the Collective for Black Iranians invites you for a conversation about the importance of language in identity formation and in seeing ourselves. Black is beautiful, Siyah Zibast is the first call in the Iranian community to see and say that Blackness lives in Iranian identity and vice-versa, a call to say that “Black is beautiful”. Co-founders, Priscillia Kounkou-Hoveyda, Alex Eskandarkhah and Parisa Nkoy, with resident historian Beeta Baghoolizadeh, resident storyteller Pegah Bahadori, resident artist Sahar Ghorishi, and resident translator Gelare Khoshgozaran – as well as residents from Iran – will join us for an evening of conversations on the myriad ways in which the Collective creatively says the Persian words, “Black is Beautiful”, through its work.
The event will be chaired by Dr Ida Hadjivayanis (Lecturer in Swahili and Head of Africa section, School of Languages, cultures and linguistics, SOAS), and Dr Narguess Farzad (Senior lecturer in Persian studies and Chair of the Centre for Iranian studies, SOAS).
About the panellists:
The Collective for Black Iranians is a creative and critically conscious initiative proposing an Iranian culture that stands fully at its Black and African intersections. Founded out of the necessity to be heard, seen and understood, the Collective has been trailblazing conversations around race, Blackness, belonging, anti-Blackness and the importance of listening to stories we may not have known existed.
To register, click this link.