Baha'i culture...art, film, literature

"A Path to Peace" inspired by Baha'i Writings:






A musical life that goes on and on

29 August 2008
RIED, Austria — Composer Russell Garcia is 92 years old and still making music. Not only that, he’s touring internationally.
This week, in the town of Ried in northern Austria, in front of an audience of 200 people, he conducted a local orchestra and choir in a work that he and his wife created.
Titled “A Path to Peace,” the piece was inspired by the Baha’i writings and includes original music by Mr. Garcia and lyrics by his 77-year-old wife, Gina Mauriello Garcia. Photographs and quotations projected above the stage illustrate conditions in the world that prevent peace, as well as ideas and principles that would promote peace.


Read more at:

A musical life that goes on and on
 
Baha'i carries Olympic Torch....

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Wilma O’Sullivan, a UK Bahá’í who lives in China, had the honour of carrying the Olympic torch when it passed through the Chinese province of Hebel, where she currently lives.
This story has just been published by The Wirral Globe, the local paper of the part of England Wilma comes from.
Wilma O’Sullivan, 52, was asked to carry the torch as she was one of a number of foreign workers to be acknowledged nationally for her contribution to education in China.
She was given the National Friendship award in 2006 and was invited by the government for a week’s holiday along with 49 other recipients that year.
Following that she appeared on television for a month filming her work for the city and provincial TV.
Wilma, a member of the Baha i Faith which believes in the unity of mankind, left Wirral for China in 1995 to become a teacher of English and has now been living there for thirteen years.
“It was a great and fantastic honour to carry the torch,” said Wilma, “and best of all I get to keep it.
“All bearers pass the flame and keep the torch,” said Wilma.
​
Source:

Bahai Social Networking :: Bahai Friends :: Bahai Network :: Bahai online :: Bahai Singles :: Bahai dating
 
Rapper RA Scion a Baha'i...

"On Common Market's first album, RA Scion focused on the state of the local hiphop scene, the history of hiphop (recognizing the Bronx as the point of origin), radical/socialist politics, and a global humanism directed by his spiritual commitment to the Baha'i faith, a metareligion that has as its basis the same kind of universalism found in the words "It's yours."
Tobacco Road turns away from the global to look back at the family and early experiences that shaped the core of RA Scion's being. Like the words of the old church hymn, "this is my story, this is my song," on Tobacco Road, RA Scion is telling his story in song. The story is about his parents, uncles and aunts, their rural community, and the economic and emotional pressures that challenged the everyday life of this community. Often the challenges were too much, people gave up, lost control of their property and minds, lost all hope, went to jail, dissolved into alcoholism, or committed suicide as did three members of RA Scion's family."

Source:
Road Scholars - Music - The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper
 
Awakening hearts through poetry...

Awakening hearts through the power of poetry

September 16, 2008 - 6:35pm Sally Arango Renata says she wanted to do “something that counts.”

Like many others, she wanted to contribute to society in a meaningful way. Ms. Renata’s desire went beyond fulfilling the Baha'i requirement to serve humanity, or, as she puts it, “to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.”

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Sally Arango Renata She decided to serve the way she knows best -- through the written word. Feeling the pain of imprisoned Iranian Baha'is after reading Olya's Story, by Olya Roohizadegan, Ms. Renata, a published writer and poet, wrote the poem “The Prisoner” (see below).

“It has become clear to me,” says Ms. Renata, who also is a folk artist and art teacher, “that the arts, including writing, can reach into places where people can’t go. They can awaken hearts, increase knowledge, bond cultures and appeal to the commonality within us all.”

Olya’s Story, written by a Baha'i who was imprisoned in Iran, is “more than a testimony to the Baha'i in Iran who have suffered for our Faith," says Ms. Renata, who lives in Surfside Beach. S.C., and has been a Baha'i for 40 years. “The book is a story of courage, a lesson to all of us who have freedom.

“When I finished the book,” she says, “I felt bonded to families I have never met and compelled to do what the Baha'is in Iran can't do -- express my true beliefs and feelings in my poems without fear of persecution.”

Ms. Renata says she considers herself a “citizen of the world. I really feel the tragedies of others. It’s like it’s happening to my own family.”

She has had her own pain to contend with. After raising six children and working for many years in the field of affirmative action, she found herself flat on her back for a year with fibromyalgia, from which she still suffers.

“So I started exploring inside myself,” she says. Ms. Renata started doing folk art and has had several exhibits. She also took up writing and has won a number of awards for her works, including being named a Poetry Fellow by the South Carolina Arts Commission.

“The Prison”
(For Baha’i Sisters in Iran)

We have freedom here,
which seems capricious
as you sleep on cold
damp cement.

Perfumed sage wafts
through my unknowing rooms
as you endure foul
crusted toilets, failing bodies,
the scent of fear.

I foster angst,
tinker in empty places,
while you suppress
tears with smiles,
fear, with the chanting
of sweet verses
waiting for the call
of your name – or hers,
which brings even more pain.

What was I doing the day
the child Mona was hung,
the women, their fathers,
their mothers...

What was my day, months ago
when they stole more of my
sisters, still children,

for the sin of service,
for not hiding their faith
under a chador.

From the blur of worlds-
yours and mine, this
and the next, now and then,
comes the phoenix of love,
the joining of sisters.
I weep for wasted time.
 
Carole Lombard (1908 - 1942)

Her mother, Bess Peters, was a member of the Baha’i faith, and Lombard formally declared in 1938.

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She was Carole Lombard, born 100 years ago on Oct. 6, 1908, in a sprawling house at the foot of Rockhill Street, overlooking the St. Marys River in Fort Wayne.

The undisputed queen of 1930s screwball comedy, she died in a fiery crash in 1942 when her plane slammed into Table Rock Mountain in Nevada while returning from a war-bond drive appearance in Indianapolis.

She was only 33.

See the Source:

Fort Wayne's brightest star: Carole Lombard | The News-Sentinel - Fort Wayne IN
 
Rapper RA Scion discusses Baha'i Faith:

DX: What are the principles of the Baha’i faith for those who don’t know?

RA: The faith itself is about 170 years old; it comes from Iran; it’s born out of the Islamic culture much the same way Christianity is born out of Judaic culture. So a lot of people have a misconception that the Baha’i faith is a sect of Islam when it just ties into the Islamic culture. There are fundamental principles within the Baha’i faith that are similar to Islam: humanity, religion, one God – monotheistic religion. It became popular in the United States in the 1960s so a lot of people associated it with the hippie movement. But the faith is nothing without the practical application of those ideals: without service to the community – and I mean hands on, being in the trenches servicing the community. And all of that idealism is just superstition. One thing we try to put into our music is the idea of, “how we’re gonna serve the community.”

Source:

Underground Report: Common Market and Junclassic | Features > HipHopDX.com
 
Rainn Wilson at George Washington University:

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"...As a Baha'i, I feel that the rights of women, as part of social justice, is crucial."

Religion plays a big role in his daily life, Wilson said. Wilson is a practicing Baha'i, a religion emphasizing the spiritual unity of human kind. He noted that being Baha'i has shaped his views on life, as well as his actions, and how he raises his son Walter. Justice, he said, is very important to him.
"Baha'u'llah, the founder of the faith, has a quote that says 'the best beloved of all things in my sight is justice,'" Wilson said. "In other words, justice is an avenue towards God and towards the divine."

Source:

The Daily Colonial - 'Office' Star Speaks Out on Campus for Women's Rights
 
Music in the Park in Pensacola Florida:

Music key to Inspiration in the Park



KATE S. PEABODY • kpeabody@pnj.com. • October 1, 2008

kpeabody@pnj.com.


The inviting sounds you might hear each Monday evenings in the Navarre Park could be coming from music played by a group of men, women and children that belongs to the Baha'i faith.

Each week when members of the Baha'is of Emerald Coast gather, it is usually for a time of discussion, devotion, music and fellowship. And the group welcomes anyone to stop by for an evening of what they call, inspiration in the park.

"The purpose is to promote unity among ourselves and the larger community," said Joel Smith, a member of the group.
According to the Bahai's, "There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion derive their inspiration from one heavenly source, and are the objects of one God."
In that vein, Smith said the group that comes together each week welcomes others to join them and enjoy the music.

And one of the unique aspects of their gathering, is that there are no priests or pastors. Each individual can assume a role of a priest or minister and lead the group in study circles. They read from a series of books for adults and children, and weave lots of music into their event, which can last for up to two hours.

With its birth in the Middle East, the faith has grown to become one of the second-most widespread independent religions. It embraces people from more than 2,100 ethnic and tribal groups, with its world center located in Israel on Mount Carmel.

One of its beliefs is that "The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens."

Martin Kumi, originally from Ghana, Africa, has been a member of the Baha'i faith since 1993.

"I investigated about the Baha'i religion and found that it teaches about unity of man kind, that we are all one and that there is only one God. It doesn't matter what name you call him," Kumi said. In my language, which is Twi, they call the same God Onyankopon, and this is one of the reasons I was fascinated because of the fact that we all worship the same God."
Occasionally, Kumi and his wife Esther, will join the group in Navarre. But he and others also gather once a month on Saturdays at his home in Pensacola for a similar event.

"We have an African sing-along, we pray, and then we will have some African food and socialize," he said.

Other celebrations of the Baha'i faith include a worship service, which is called the feast, and is held on the first day of each month. For the faithful, it is more "spiritual dinner than a physical one, although light refreshments are served at the end."

Source:

Music key to Inspiration in the Park | pnj.com | Pensacola News Journal
 
Unity for Social Action:Action Day October 15th

SYDNEY, Australia — Bloggers everywhere – including people who write some of the most subscribed-to blogs in the world – will discuss the subject of poverty during the second annual Blog Action Day, set for 15 October.

So far more than 8,000 bloggers with an estimated 10 million readers have committed to the project, and – if last year’s Blog Action Day is an indication – the numbers could increase significantly by the end of the designated day. TechCrunch, LifeHacker, ReadWriteWeb, and ProBlogger are among the well-known blogs that have signed on.
One of the main organizers, Collis Ta’eed, says the concept of Blog Action Day fits well with his Baha’i beliefs and his understanding of Baha’i teachings about social action.

“Our idea is to give bloggers a platform and enable them to take a day out of their schedule to do something socially positive,” said Mr. Ta’eed, an Australian who works internationally as a professional Web designer.
“It puts Baha’i principles into action in the sense that people should get outside themselves and do something for the greater community,” he continued. “The Baha’i Faith puts a big responsibility on the individual to take action.”
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    Collis and Cyan Ta’eed are two of the principal organizers of Blog Action Day. ‘Our idea is to give bloggers a platform and enable them to take a day out of… »
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    Leo Babauta, author of the top 100 blog ZenHabits, says Blog Action Day 'forms a huge conversation about one important topic.' He adds, 'This is what blogging… »
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The Internet in general, and blogging specifically, offer a unique way of communicating, and Blog Action Day plugs into that, said Mr. Ta’eed.
One quarter of the world’s top 100 blogs (as listed by Technorati) have signed up to participate, he said.

The idea of Blog Action Day is for blog publishers to view a critical social issue from their own perspective, and do it all at once, in effect generating a multi-faceted global discussion on a specific topic.
“If your blog normally deals with finance, then you would discuss poverty from that angle,” Mr. Ta’eed said. “If your blog normally deals with technology, you would discuss it from that angle.”

He said that bloggers wanting to support the project can go to www.blogactionday.org and register, and anyone can check the same Web site for other avenues of participation, including calling in to a 12-hour radio talk-a-thon on BlogTalkRadio.
 
Rainn Wilson comments

Rainn Wilson made a recent response to a question about his being a Baha'i and I thought I'd include it here:

Isn’t your Baha’i faith a little bit hippie?

I grew up a member of the faith, left it when I went to New York — I didn’t want any sense of morality hanging over my head, but that got me into a lot of trouble, so that didn’t work out so well — and now I’m growing back into it. It’s hard to sum up a major world religion in a nutshell, but Baha’is essentially believe that all religions are one religion.

Source:

Meet Rainn Wilson, star of The Rocker - Times Online
 
Baha'i Art Show in Massachusetts:

Annual Baha’I Art Show expands term, consciousness Written by Doreen Leggett October 16, 2008
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As Russian Orthodox music fills the space and incense pervades the senses, an artist breathes on the icon she has spent almost a week creating, firmly affixing the gold leaf of the halo to the clay underneath.

One of the final touches will be white around the halo and the eyes, symbolizing the light from God, an uncreated illumination.

“It is a very deeply spiritual experience,” said artist Anne Ierardi, recalling her retreat to create the image of the Archangel Michael. “It’s very much traditional work… everything has a meaning.”

Ierardi has “written” two icons, the term used for creating the religious pieces. She’ll speak about her work, and have various examples on display, at the 8th annual Baha’i Art Show held at the Guyer Barn, which is part of the Shirley Blair Flynn Creative Art campus on Pearl and South streets in Hyannis.

She says the show appeals to her background as an artist and an ordained minister. The two-week exhibition, titled “The Essence of Spirituality in the Evolving World, as Seen by the Artist,” also appeals to her because of the wealth of fascinating workshops and lectures offered.
“This is the first time they have been able to have a fine program go with the art exhibit,” Ierardi said, explaining that the mission of the art center is not only to display art, but to involve the community in workshops and other hands-on experiences.

Among other presentations, the art show will feature an acting workshop (“That sounds exciting,” Ierardi said. “I always wanted to try acting.”), drawing, collage, painting, poetry, beading and jewelry and a host of other disciplines.

Many of the presenters are well-known locally, such as Jean Iverson, who has a popular garden stand in Cummaquid and founded the Organic Gardeners of Cape Cod. She’ll be speaking on organic gardening and the Gardens of the World Center in Haifa, Israel.

Artist Maria Foreland will talk about Kabbalah and the Tree of Life, and participants will be encouraged to “pick” one of the stones or precious gems it holds, each symbolizes something different.

“It just happens to be the message you need to hear is the one you pick,” said Ierardi.
The interactive art show, as organizers are calling it, will also have workshops for children, such as Yo-Yo instructions from the state champion, and their parents (“The Art of Creative Parenting – how to bring out the positive forces of community virtues in your children.”)
Ierardi’s lecture and presentation is scheduled for the last day of the show, Nov. 1, when she will talk about her work, which also includes a series on women in jazz, and her spiritual journey. Members of the audience are encouraged to bring an example of their own work to share.
The fortnight closes with an open devotional and an interfaith prayer circle. The Baha’i faith emphasizes spiritual unity of all human kind.

Everything is free. As Ierardi noted, “It’s a real gift.”


The 8th Annual Baha’i Art Show at the Guyer Barn Gallery
An Interactive Fortnight of Art
October 19th – November 1st

Exhibition Gallery open from 10AM – 4PM weekdays

Evening and Weekend Schedule
(subject to change)
​
10/19 Opening Reception 6-9PM

10/20 Acting Workshop 7PM-9PM
Judith Partelow/Richard Kirk

10/21 Artist Sarah Holl’s regularly scheduled class (not part of the event)

10/22 The Responsibility of the Artist 7-8:30PM
A Lecture by Dr. Robin Chandler, Artist, Sociologist, and
Associate Professor of African American Studies at Northeastern University

10/23 Organic Gardening and the Gardens of the World Center in Haifa 6-8PM
Jean Iverson, Founder of the Organic Gardeners of Cape Cod

10/24 A Collage Workshop Utilizing Maps of the World 6:30-8:30PM
Artist Caitlin Nesbit

10/25 The Art of Creative Parenting – How to bring out the positive forces of Community Virtues in your Children 10AM-4PM
Gail Madjzoub, Professional Life Coach, RN

Children’s programs and classes:

Yo-Yo Instructions
Brett Outchcinus, State Yo-Yo Champion

Painting

Creating a Symphony

and more

An Informational Presentation about the Baha’i Faith 7-8:30PM
Jack & Wandra Harmson

10/26 The Tree of Life 11AM-1PM
Artist Maria Forland

Plein Air Painting 2-4PM
Artist Russ Vjus

Mathematics in Art 5-7PM
A lecture by Professor Jeffrey Gruber, Artist,
teacher of Linguistics & Mathematics at MIT

10/27 Drawing with Artist Kirk Christian Mueller 7-8:30PM

Beading and Jewelry with Artist Karen Billard

10/28 Artist Sarah Holl’s regularly scheduled class (not part of the event)

10/29 Art in Native Culture – an Iroquois Reflects 6:30-8PM
Artist Richard Kirk

Surrealism and Symbolism – Breaking the Minds Identification
Artist Valentina Zarharof 8-9:30PM

10/30 Ghoulish Engravings - a Printmaking Halloween Workshop 6-8PM
Artist Michelle Law

10/31 (Halloween)
A Symposium on our Theme, “The Essence of Spirituality in the Evolving World as Seen by the Artist” - the Synthesis of an Organic Poem
Artist/Writer Patricia Austin 7-9PM

11/1 Our Spiritual Journeys as Artists 1-3PM
Rev. Anne Ierardi, Artist, Spiritual Director
Participants are invited to bring a symbol, art work, music, or poem to share.

Fortnight Closing:
Open Devotional and Inter-Faith Prayer Circle 3-4PM
 
"...work can be a form of worship"

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Hopping on the Carousel: pending Cardinals' SS Khalil Greene



“I feel that if I accept the fact that what I do brings happiness to people and they enjoy watching me play, then I feel that in itself is a form of worship. We’re taught in (the Baha’i) faith that your work can be a form of worship. I try to do that and play the game like it’s meant to be played.”

- Kahlil Greene
 
Hip-hop Baha'is

Hip-hop hits spiritual chords

12 August 2007
LOS ANGELES — </SPAN>Be cool. Be religious. Yes, you can watch MTV and still have morals.
Some music professionals in Los Angeles - all of them Baha'is and all knee-deep or more in the entertainment industry - have come out with what one recording artist terms a "straight-up Baha'i album."
The group calls itself the Dawnbreaker Collective, the album is named "Arise," and the music is, well, cool.
Rap, rock, funk, R&B, spoken-word - all are represented.
"Come talk with Me, speak heavenly, remember Me, O son of Spirit," sings Tara Ellis on one of the hip-hop tracks. She has recorded with rap star Eve and with Will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas fame, and is unapologetic about her current contribution to a religious record.
"This was an incredible project to part of," she says. "It's different to the stuff that most of us do because this is a straight-up Baha'i album. It's us being Baha'is and doing what we love. ...
"It's the sound of our times but in a good way."
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    Andy Grammer is one of 17 artists who performs on "Arise" by the Dawnbreaker Collective.
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    Rey Luna and Tara Ellis perform at the Los Angeles Baha'i Center.
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    Vahid Brooks, with Mathai in the background, performs "Hush," a favorite piece from the album, according to an online survey.
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Benny Cassette - he's a hip-hopper and producer who has worked with Mos Def, Willie Nelson, Eve, and Akon, and is slated to release a solo album on Universal Records - says the idea is to talk religion with young people in a language they understand.
He and the other artists - 17 of them altogether - wanted to "create something that Baha'i kids can listen to as easily as they listen to some of the other popular music out there."
"You know," he says, "they look up to the people they see on MTV and things. So what we are trying to do with this album is show them that there are people who work with the MTVs of the world but still hold to our values - which they can do, too."
Hundreds of Web messages from the U.S. and around the world suggest that Benny and company are on the right track.
"I just discovered your music," writes a woman named Sandra from Cameroon. "Really, I didn't imagine rap could be so inspiring."
From Dorina in Germany: "I like this special new style of performing Baha'i themes. Do you know what important work you are doing?"
Part of the album's new style is the way sacred scripture is used.
"This album has introduced the world to a different way of treating the (Baha'i) writings," says Vahid Brooks, one the featured artists. "We are not being disrespectful or anything. All we are doing is using the writings in a language that makes sense to us and the people we live with."
Benny Cassette says that although the album is inspired by the Baha'i Faith, "we are trying to make music for the world. ... Ultimately we want to create a doorway for people to access the Faith."
The songs on "Arise" are not really scripture set to music, explains Jamie Lewis, manager of the Dawnbreaker Collective.
"It's more a vibe or a feeling," he says. "The album was created by the artists praying and deepening together and then going off and writing the songs."
Love for their religion is what led the artists to make the album, adds Benny.
"I can remember thinking to myself that I will not be happy having any song on this album that I couldn't see myself sitting down and listening to with 'Abdu'l-Baha," he says. 'Abdu'l-Baha was the son of the founder of the Baha'i Faith, and Baha'is look to him as the best example of how to live.
"The arts are extremely powerful," says Michael Mathenge, a member of the Dawnbreaker Collective who goes by the name Mathai. "They can inspire, and they can motivate anyone if they are used in the right way. This is what we are trying to do."
The artists who created "Arise" - in addition to Benny Cassette, Tara Ellis, Vahid Brooks, and Mathai ("Solomon Coal") - include Andy Grammer, Robert "Iodine" Sinclair, Jamal "J-Bird" DeGruy, Ruth Foreman, Rey "Rey Loo" Luna, and Jason "Matu" Greene. Also contributing were Jamey Heath, Deep Red, Rance, Dorothy Dixon, Devon Gundry, Fondi Dixon, and John Barnes the Third. Oscar DeGruy makes a guest appearance, and Allison Anastasio designed the album cover.
The album can be purchased online at Dawnbreaker Collective and through iTunes, and it is increasingly available internationally at outlets where Baha'i books and materials are sold.
Editors picks from the archives
 
Mabel Wharekawa-Burt inspired by Faith:



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Honours List: Varied career began with song and dance

4:00AM Wednesday Dec 31, 2008
Caron Copek

Mabel Wharekawa-Burt won her first talent quest aged 4 at the Waihi Soundshell.

"I sang a song called Mahi's Making Eyes at Me and can still remember the dance to accompany the song," she says.
Born in Katikati, the rural town where she still lives today, the 61-year-old has had a variety of roles including actor, television and radio presenter and producer, theatre director, coach, umpire, anti-domestic-violence advocate, chairwoman, agony aunt and arts administrator.
But she is better known as Auntie Mabel from the TV programme Ask Your Auntie.

Now she can add member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to performing arts and
the community to her repertoire.

"I can't understand why I'm more worthy than the thousands of people who made me what I am," she says.

"If I am an awesome individual it's because of the thousands of people in my life who made me what I am."

Ms Wharekawa-Burt credits the seaside soundshells in the 50s and 60s, her marae upbringing (she is of Ngati Ranginui and Ngai-Te-Rangi descent), a strong association with Catholic communities "with their love of pageantry", her whanau and the Baha'i faith as her great inspirations.

Source:

Honours List: Varied career began with song and dance - Arts - NZ Herald News
 
Interview with "Foad":

Interview with Foad: Using music to increase awareness on the plight of Baha’is in Iran

Author: Kawthar (Sudan) - January 9, 2009

Music has had a great significance in human culture, whether used in religious ceremonies, for educational purposes or for entertainment. But for young Foad, an Iranian Baha’i who was forced to flee the country after the intense persecution his family was subjected to, it’s a medium to voice anger at the violation of human rights, and raise awareness on the importance of taking action.
After featuring one of Foad’s songs at the Network. we were highly impressed and determined to give him an avenue to share his story. He kindly consented to an interview, and below is the text of it:
Q. For a start, can you give us a short introduction about yourself?
My name is Foad. I was born in one of the little towns of the Mazandaran province, which is located in Northern Iran in June 1987 (month of Khordad, year 1366 according to the Iranian calendar), but I was brought up in Tehran. Due to the numerous problems Baha’is face in furthering their education in Iran, I took refuge in Turkey when I was 16, and at the moment I am a student of electrical engineering in the USA. From the early years of my childhood, I have adored Iranian traditional music, and I play Persian musical instruments. However, at the moment I find that the Rap genre is best suited for me to express my inner feelings. My efforts are mostly focused on addressing the problems of religious and ethnic minorities - especially the Baha’is - through my songs.
Q. What inspired you to start singing?
These days, it is not easy to get things off your chest, or confide in someone about what goes on in your mind. Most of the people, when you talk to them about the breach of human rights in the world, they either don’t care or get bored. My personal idea is that through music, one could have a closer relationship with people and be more influential.
Q. Why did you choose rap and hip-hop over other music genres? What differentiates it?
There are many reasons for that, the most important being my own inner feelings, which are more about the problems I faced as a member of religious minority and the sadness of living away from my homeland in a lonely world. I wanted to speak out about all these issues in my songs. Using Hip-Hop, you have an opportunity to transfer most of what you want to say in the least time possible. The most important feature of Hip-Hop music is its being the language and the medium of opposition; it could be said that this music helped the African-Americans in Europe and the USA to liberate themselves from the chains of discrimination, and this is something that I find very inspirational.
Q. Do you feel at risk creating this music, which some may consider to be controversial?
I know I am not going to be personally threatened because of my music, as my songs are only meant to increase people’s level of awareness and I am currently living in the USA. I sometimes do feel worried about the future, though, and I wonder if my family or my friends back in Iran would face some problems. However, I am hopeful about the future and I am sure that very soon things are going to change in Iran, because the situation is explicitly catastrophic, in a way that people are loudly opposing it and speaking out.
Q. Have any Iranian citizens listened to your music, and if so, what has their reaction been?
Yes, with the help of friends and through the websites I managed to send my music video to some Iranians who appreciated the songs, because it indeed reflects the untold stories of those who live in Iran at the moment. One week before I moved out of Iran, I wrote a free verse poem called Mazhab” which means “religion”, and I later on used the song in my rap music and a music video was produced using the same lyrics.
Q. Who do you wish to address through your music? Bahai’is? The international community? The citizens and government of Iran?
So far, my audience has been mainly Baha’is, but my aim is to increase the awareness of the respectful Iranians who are not Baha’is themselves, because there are many people who really don’t know what happens to the religious minorities in Iran. If I try to address people in a global scale, I will need to write my lyrics in English and I still don’t find my English skills to be supportive of my objectives. Nevertheless, I have some plans that might as well be of interest to the people who are not familiar with the Persian language.
Q. No doubt, your experiences in Iran have shaped you and influenced your music, but of all your experiences, which had the greatest effect on you?
I think being away from my motherland, being away from close relatives and family from the age of 16, has had the greatest effect on me. The bitter memories of my childhood, like the confiscation of all my family’s possessions and properties, the persecution I experienced in school, and the baseless accusations made against Baha’is in Iran, they all influenced my way of singing and my songs. From now on, the encouragement of friends and acquaintances, and the audience would definitely help me to revitalize my music.
Q. What do you hope to achieve through your music? What message do you hope to send?
The public opinions are much forgetful, even those of the Baha’is who live outside Iran. It seems even they are not much bothered by the conditions of the Baha’is in Iran, so my music would first address them and make them remember what they have probably forgotten. Next I would like to reflect my own ideas.

To read the complete article go to:

Interview with Foad: Using music to increase awareness on the plight of Baha’is in Iran - Mideast Youth - Thinking Ahead
 
CBE awarded to Earl Cameron:

CBE Recipient "Over the Moon" on Award

BY NINA TUHAIKA
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Recipient of a Commander of the British Empire medal, CBE, in the Queen's 2009 New Year Honours List, Earl Cameron.
(Source: Photo Supplied)

The man behind Honiara's B-Kool Dairy ice-cream was "greatly overwhelmed and over the moon" over the news of being made a recipient of a Commander of the British Empire medal, CBE, in the Queen's 2009 New Year Honours List.
In an email to Solomon Times, Earl Cameron's daughter, Serena Cameron, said her Dad was "greatly overwhelmed and over the moon by the news of being made a recipient of the CBE award ... and is greatly looking forward to meeting with the Queen at the Investiture ceremony in May."

Mr. Cameron, 91, was a veteran actor who has appeared in more than 30 films, taken part in more than 60 Television series, and his most recent film appearances include a major role in The Interpreter in 2005 in which he played the fictitious African dictator alongside leading Hollywood actress, Nicole Kidman.

He was delighted to hear that The Interpreter was shown in the Solomons.

In 2006, he appeared as the portrait painter in the recent film The Queen, discussing with Helen Mirren, as Queen Elizabeth II, the British electoral system.

Serena said that the set up of B-Kool came about following a visit to the Solomons.

"[Dad] went as a visit to the Solomons Islands, liked it very much and discovered that there was an ice cream business in the Honiara market place for sale and decided to buy it."

His trip was alongside his first wife, Audrey, to serve his Baha'i Faith and as a member of the Baha'i religion, he was happy to give service to the Faith he loves.

Source:

CBE Recipient "Over the Moon" on Award | Economy | Solomon Islands News
 
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