White Wednesdays

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White Wednesdays

Iranian women have had a very contentious history with the Hijab, the Islamic covering often mandated by Islam to prevent the sexual arousal of men. Previously optional, this mode of dress was declared illegal in the 1930s, as Reza Shah, the ruler of Iran tried to force Western modernity on the population. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the pendulum swung in the other direction, with the Hijab being mandatory and strictly enforced with beatings and incarceration. Extreme punishment, however, has not dissuaded Iranian women from their fight for freedom.

In 2014 Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist and activist based in United States, started a movement called My Stealthy Freedom, where women were encouraged to post photos of their uncovered heads on social media. More publicly, on White Wednesdays, women would wear a white headscarf in public as a gesture of support for freedom of choice (with or without Hijab). This movement grew to draw attention to other social injustices facing the women of Iran. The government’s reaction was to crack down with further arrests and imprisonment, resulting in sentences as harsh as 24 years and many women leaving the country for a life in exile.

In this project I will use the rhythmic beatings of a percussion instrument to symbolize and draw attention to the repression of Iranian women. Audience participation will be encouraged by distributing additional instruments for the audience to accompany the performance and thus support and be the voice of Iranian Women.
Fall 2019

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