The air in Farkhondeh Shahroudi’s Berlin studio is thick with the scent of fabric and unspoken stories. For 63-year-old Shahroudi, who arrived in Germany in 1990, the news from her homeland, Iran, is a constant, unsettling presence. Her hands, accustomed to weaving intricate tapestries, now tremble with a different kind of tension. “For me, textile and text – they have the same structure. They flow into each other,” she explains, her voice a soft echo in the quiet space. Her art, much like her life, is a tapestry of memories and emotions, each thread a testament to a history of defiance.
A History of Protest and a Future of Uncertainty
Shahroudi’s journey began at 17, protesting against the Persian Shah in Tehran. Decades later, the images of January’s protests in Iran resonated deeply, triggering a familiar sense of dread. “It was like a paralysis for me when I learned that so many people had been killed. And the images kept coming back, and I also compared that time with then. And now, this war, this uncertainty, that we don’t know where it all leads,” she confides, her gaze distant. Living in Berlin for over two decades, she now fears that the current attacks on Iran will escalate into a civil war. “I am afraid that it will lead to a civil war. Actually, the Islamic Republic has managed to ensure that we have no opposition, that they have killed everyone, and they are all very scattered.”
The Voice of an Expert: Gilda Sahebi
Gilda Sahebi, an Iranian-born author and journalist, has become a sought-after expert on Iran. Through her podcast, “Gilda con Arne,” she dissects the week’s political developments with fellow journalist and activist Arne Semsrott. Sahebi’s words carry the weight of years spent analyzing the complexities of her homeland. “The orders in January, that unarmed people, people who protest peacefully, that they are shot in the streets – this order came directly from Khamenei,” she states with conviction. The news of Khamenei’s death, she recalls, brought a fleeting sense of justice. “The news that he is dead was simply a moment of feeling justice in a state that is characterized by impunity for the worst crimes. And that was such a moment where people just breathed out.” However, Sahebi remains pragmatic, recognizing that air strikes alone cannot topple a regime. She dismisses the notion of civil society single-handedly overthrowing the government as unrealistic. “The system has always been focused only on its preservation, on continuing to exist – always with the oppression of people, they have nothing else. Perhaps they will change the type of oppression, and people are already very afraid of that. So, that they have gone through all this: the massacres in January, the war now with I don’t know how many victims. And then the system is still there.”
Maryam.fyi: Music as a Reflection of Pain and Hope
German-born musician Maryam, who frequently visited her father’s homeland, also found solace in the news of the Ayatollah’s death. Yet, the current war and the extreme violence against protesters weeks prior are almost unbearable for her. “There were also videos where people said goodbye and said: I’m going out on the street today and I might not come back. And if you see the video or if you hear my voice, then remember… If you celebrate, then you also celebrate for me such news. It’s really just unimaginable.” Her new song, “Vergessen, wie man lebt” (Forgetting how to live), captures her current mood. Maryam expresses frustration with the international community. “Western governments, our government knew what was happening in Iran, knew what human rights violations were happening, knew what horror was happening there. That’s no secret. The world knew that and everyone watched or simply didn’t watch, and let it happen for how many years?” She emphasizes the desperate need for support for the Iranian people, asserting that they cannot achieve change alone. “What one can say is, the Islamic Republic as it was before February 28th, it’s gone, it won’t come back. The crucial question will be whether the armed forces say: ‘We no longer shoot at people.’ That will be the crucial point, and so far it doesn’t look like it.”
A Glimmer of Hope in the Darkness
Despite the grim realities, Farkhondeh Shahroudi clings to hope. “I have hope. We should have hope. We want to live, we want to be free. And we… if we have no hope, then we do nothing.” Her words, a quiet act of defiance, resonate with the enduring spirit of resilience that defines these artists. In their art and their voices, they find strength, transforming fear into a powerful testament to the human spirit’s unwavering desire for freedom and justice.
Source: https://www.rbb-online.de/rbbkultur-magazin/archiv/20260307_1830/iran-kuenstler-berlin-krieg-angst-ho fnung-regime-teheran-kultur.html
