Published
Thu, Sep 29, 2022, 10:15
- The 12-hour broadcasts are running today and tomorrow from 10 AM through midnight GMT.
Palestine's online station Radio Alhara is broadcasting two 12-hour shows in solidarity with the current protests in Iran and Kurdistan following the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in police custody.
Running from 10 AM through midnight GMT today, September 29th, and tomorrow, Sonic Liberation Front: In Solidarity with Iran was co-curated by London-based Iranian artist Pouya Ehsaei. The shows will include live sets from Iranian women and non-binary electronic artists such as Xeen, Aida Arco, Anahita Shamsaei, Foori, KUCHULU and Lafawndah.
The death of Amini, who was killed at the hands of Iran's morality police for allegedly disregarding hijab regulations, has sparked a nationwide uprising and led to levels of unrest not seen since 2019, when 7,000 people were arrested for protesting the rise in fuel prices.
Protesters are demanding equality for women and abolition of the hijab—which has been compulsory since the Islamic Revolution in 1979—with the slogan "Women, Life, Freedom." Since September 16th, protests have raged in 31 provinces, including Tehran, Kurdistan and Qom. Dozens of people have died.
"Iranian women aren't victims waiting to be rescued, but fighters–we always have been," said Iranian techno artist Anahita Shamsaei. "We're asking for our simple rights. And it's absolutely important to clarify something here: Iranians aren't protesting against Islam or anything related to that. This is about human rights, specifically women's rights, which is mainly a sociological and social issue rather than a political one."
She added: "One of the biggest feminist rights movement in the Middle East region has risen once again. I'm proud Iranian women are fighting so powerfully to win their basic human rights."
But showing dissent make Iranians a target for the authorities, said Ehsaei. Artists involved in the Sonic Liberation Front broadcasts risk getting tracked as activists both abroad and in Iran.
"The act of attaching one's name to a campaign like Sonic Liberation Front is a radical action in itself and I appreciate the courage and dedication of all the artists who participated in this action," he told RA.
Parts of the two-day programme will also be broadcast on NTS Radio, Noods, Movement Athens, Netil, Refuge Worldwide, Cashmere, Raheem, Shared Frequencies, RTM.FM, THF, Uumphff, Disco Tehran and Vandelay.
Listen to Sonic Liberation Front: In Solidarity with Iran.
Update, September 29th: This piece has been updated to mention the protests in Kurdistan and Amini's identity as a Kurdish woman.
