Saturday, September 17
7 pm
Palace of Fine Arts
The Not A Crime campaign will be hosting―at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater in San Francisco―a special performance by the Shanbehzadeh Ensemble. Founded in 1990 by the celebrated Afro-Iranian musician Saeid Shanbehzadeh, the group provides audiences with a captivating experience of the distinctive music and dance indigenous to southwestern Iran and the communities bordering the Persian Gulf. Through ululation and movement, the ensemble celebrates its shared Afro-Iranian heritage by exploring the complicated emotions engendered by oppression―its energetic expression of Iranian folk music created with an array of instruments including the neyanban (bagpipe), neydjofti (flute), dammam (drum), zarbetempo (percussion), traditional flute, senj (cymbal), and boogh (goat’s horn).
Of his decision to support the Not A Crime campaign, Mr. Shanbehzadeh has remarked:
“My struggle for freedom of expression and thought has been primarily aimed at liberating myself from the chains of the Iranian government and its censorship. Now I believe it is my duty to defend these freedoms for my fellow Iranians and everyone else around the world. Unfortunately, in my country there are many who cannot have access to an education because of their religious beliefs. I joined the Not A Crime campaign to support this basic human right for the Bahá’ís.”
Please visit http://www.notacrime.me/live for tickets and more information.