Exiled to Freedom: A Memoir of Censorship in Iran

 Mahmood Karimi-Hakak
 Exiled to Freedom:
A Memoir of Censorship in Iran

 An examination of censorship in Iran

 In-depth look at the issue
 Drawing from personal experiences
 The effects of censorship on artistic expression
  The Islamic Revolution o 1979  Limiting of artistic freedom
of expression
 Restrictions imposed on songs, films and theatre plays that
are seen as immoral or offensive to Islamic beliefs
 Photography and painting had to stick to strict rules and
Censorship after regulations, such as no depictions of nudity or alcohol
the Islamic Revolution
 Any material that seemed to be critical of the regime was
banned
 Anything cultural or artistic that had the intention of being
presented to the masses had to first receive authorization
and approval from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic
Guidance
  The plays must follow strict religious and moral codes
that are set by the authorities
 Political or religious topics as well as sexual content
Theatre after
the Islamic Revolution are considered to be immoral, inappropriate
 Theatre performances are often monitored by the
government to ensure that they comply with
censorship regulations
  Strict censorship of dialogue, music, and
performances.
 Strict control of who is allowed to produce and
Constraints that perform in theatrical plays
theatre directors
come across  Restrictions on the types of themes and topics that
are allowed in the plays
 Restrictions on the types of costumes and props that
can be used
 “I could not allow my artistic work to be used publicly
as instrument for political propaganda. I believe that
a work of art should not be used as political propaganda
for any ruling ideology, regime or government.”
Art as an instrument
for propaganda

A common practice in Iran – the government expects

artists to support them in return for their financial favours
 “He wanted me to speak of the corrupted theatre of the
pre revolutionary epoch and praise the purification
of the arts that had taken place since the Islamic revolution.
He also wanted me to talk about how dismayed I felt by the
lack of moral values and disrespect for education in America.”
Freedom of speech

 Restricted freedom of speech

 Inability to freely speak one’s mind
 The need to conform to the rules dictated by higher
institutions in order to fulfil one’s ambitions
 „So it is me, isn’t it? Why don’t you just come right out
with it? Is it because I refused to pretend that I agree
with the governing ideology, because I refused to direct
the kind of plays you wanted me to direct, isn’t it?”
Disobedience to the
government
 A great deal of power in the hands of the government
 Hindering one’s ability to achieve success through
bureaucracy or censorship
 Being doomed to failure because of one’s disobedience
to the authorities
 Censorship of the script
„Because Hermia loves you, then go and be
happy with her”
„Go marry Hermia”
• Losing the original meaning
• Making the text more
conservative
• Moving away from the original
Thank you for your attention.