Cafes Shut Down For Allowing “Immoral” Dancing

Security forces and police shut down two cafes in the Persian Coastal city Bushehr on March 14 after it emerged that women had been allowed to dance in the venues during a music festival. Vigilante groups associated with the Revolutionary Guards also threatened the artists, musicians and performers who had organized the event.

The Koocheh (“Street” or “Alleyway”) Music Festival ran from March 10 and March 16 in the port city of Bushehr, the capital city of the province of the same name. The organizers covered the costs of the events through ticket sales.  

In the run-up to the festival, domestic media reported on it as an important cultural event, given that its aim was to introduce, promote and keep alive Iran’s native and folkloric music traditions. It was also the topic of discussion on social media, where people shared videos of audiences dancing and singing along with the performers. But soon after the videos were posted, two religious vigilante groups associated with Bushehr’s Revolutionary Guards issued a statement condemning the festival.

“The unknown soldiers of the Hidden Imam [the Shia messiah]...identified the immoral and anti-religious activities at Café Lenj in the anti-colonial and martyr-nurturing city of Bushehr,” the statement read. “The culprits of this cultural invasion and neocolonialism will be dealt with harshly. Managers of cafés in Bushehr and coastal cities must be aware that the sharp eyes of the Hezbollah are constantly and relentlessly surveying and identifying the enemies of this country.”

The statement went on to issue threats against some of the organizers. “Mohsen S. [Sharifian, band leader and musician], Ehsan A. [Abdipour, director and screenwriter] and Shahin B. [Bahramnejad, movie director and producer] must know that illegal and immoral activities will be answered by the steel sledgehammer of the law,” it warned.

 

Mingling with the Audience

“This festival was held in a very cozy and informal setting,” a 46-year-old musician who plays traditional folk instruments told IranWire. He asked to remain anonymous. “The musicians offered the essence of the folk music to their audience without meddling in it, meaning that they presented it the way that it is. Because of its folkloric nature, musicians in this festival perform among the audience and the people gather around the band or the players in an intimate and comfortable manner and mingle with them. It is in the nature of this kind of music to be easy-going and intimate. Such cultural events, organized by the private sector, try to keep this alive.”

He explained that this year’s festival was a bit different, which might have been the reason for the crackdown. “This year,” he said, “the organizers did something interesting. In addition to known music bands, they also gave space to the so-called underground groups that perhaps few have heard of. And, perhaps most important of all, they also set up music classes and workshops. Last year the festival was held in only one of the hundred alleyways of Bushehr, but this year they held this musical event in the rest of the old alleys in the city too. Well, when the event grows in its dimensions and you want to teach as well as play, then consequences follow.”

So what could he tell us about the shutting down of the Lenj and Naji cafés? “We did not carry out the proper supervision that we should have done and this failure resulted in the shutdown of the Lenj café,” the Bushehri artist told IranWire. “Today we heard that they have shut down the Naji café as well. Bushehri artists are interested in, and only in, folk music and our own native music. We have no political agenda. You can hear every kind of music in the alleys, from the most romantic songs to very sad ones. Our goal is to promote these melodies and keep them alive. We are unhappy that people only take pop music seriously. We want our own folk music to be taken seriously, too.”

Women musicians were also involved — again, another potential red line for conservative authorities. “As a woman instrumentalist, when I heard that this festival was going to be held for the second year in a row, I was very happy,” one female Bushehri musician told IranWire. “Iranian people love their native and folk music but this music is being forgotten little by little. However, what can you do when the government has problems with people rejoicing?”

 

Dancing Is an Important Part of the Musical Tradition

When I asked her about the cafes being shut down, the female musician said: “After Ms. Masih Alinejad posted a video of women dancing on her Instagram page, pressure groups and plainclothesmen took action.” But, she insists, dancing plays an important role. “Dancing is part of this genre of music and nobody has the right to censor it,” she said. “It is us who are being censored. Why, as a woman, can I not dance and rejoice with my own native music?”

But another local musician told IranWire that allowing women to dance at the Lenj café was clearly a dangerous and risky move, and those who encouraged it should not be surprised that they encountered trouble or incurred fines. “Our colleagues had obtained a specific permit for this festival. Getting a permit for a festival is not like getting a permit for a concert. They had argued, in general terms, that in this difficult economic situation the festival would both make people happy and keep native music alive. But the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance [which is responsible for issuing such permits] had nothing to do with the shutting down of these two cafés. In Bushehr, it is the Public Places Police that takes these actions. A few videos were posted that were not proper, and it was not something that the organizers had wanted.”

I asked him whether he was against dancing and a party atmosphere. “As musicians of southern music, we ourselves promote dancing and rejoicing, but when dancing is not allowed and is considered an offence, it is clear that [authorities would use the] law to take action. We do not want, and never wanted, to change the regime or the government’s cultural policies. This is not up to us. We have always said that we want to act in a way so that these festivals would continue.” He indicated that a more restrained attitude to the festival must be adopted in order to ensure the festivals are not banned. “We must be able to rejoice more calmly so that such cultural events would continue — though we are not against rejoicing.”

 

Related Coverage:

Female Singers and an Underground Concert in Tehran, November 19, 2018

A Song for the Banned Voices of Women in Iran, October 5, 2018

Dancing is Not a Crime, July 10, 2018

Only Married Women Allowed to Play Music, November 30, 2017

The Stage Is no Place for Iranian Women, December 21, 2016

, May 27, 2016

, April 3, 2016

Metal, Mullahs and Muzzling: Why is Music a Crime in Iran?, February 23, 2016

, February 2, 2015

Female Musician Banned from Performing, January 16, 2015

“Female Musicians Should Stick to Lullabies”, October 15, 2014

Iran’s Gender Double Standards, October 20, 2014

, October 15, 2014