The #NotACrime global street art campaign teamed up with curators and street artists in New York City, as well as in Brazil, South Africa, and Australia, to produce murals highlighting the denial of higher education to Iran's Baha'i religious minority.
IranWire's new series featuring the artists and their murals will continue over the coming months as the #NotACrime project spreads to more cities around the world.
As part of the #NotACrime project, the Baha’i community in Brazil joined forces with two Brazilian artists to raise awareness about the human rights crisis in Iran — and in particular, the Iranian government’s refusal to allow Baha’is access to further education.
In Salvador, the capital of the Brazilian state of Bahia, artist Eder Muniz picked up his paintbrush to create a #NotACrime mural. Alongside his efforts, artist Tadeu Fernandes painted a mural in the city of Londrina, west of Sao Paolo.
“Education is the pillar of modern society... knowledge and learning are rights that no one should be denied, that no state should be able to take away from us,” said Fernandes. His beliefs are portrayed in his mural, an image of a student holding an open book sitting next to an empty chair with a closed book, directly illustrating the two extremes of the situation in Iran today. “Art is a good way of calling people’s attention to serious issues like this one”.
Muniz’s mural in Salvador explores a more abstract style, incorporating human figures, animals and surreal images to represent a dialogue between humans and nature. His vivid and enchanting mural represents a young girl seeking knowledge, symbolic of the youth in Iran who are denied access to education.
“I'd like to tell the Bahá'ís in Iran to keep up this fight,” said Fernandes. “We are sending good vibes from Brazil, giving what we can.” He said he hoped their work would help bring about change and challenge the dictatorship that so severely restricts Baha’is’ freedom.
Related articles:
#NotACrime: Alexandre Keto in New York
#NotACrime Global Street Art: Johannesburg
#NotACrime: A Global street art project for human rights in Iran
Interested in writing for IranWire?
Share your stories.
comments