We are all one voice

Reza Deghati is an internationally recognized Iranian artist and photojournalist whose work has appeared for many years in well-known international publications. In the past year he has participated in the Green Movement of Iran time and again and has played an important role in raising awareness about the condition of the Iranian people in the international community. He was the one who first proposed the idea of using Neda masks in mass protests and then went on to give his prestigious Lucie Award as a gift to the Green Movement and to freedom fighters of Iran.

On the eve of the Iranian new year we sat down in conversation with him to talk about the events of the past year and review the path the Green Movement has traveled.

Here is the conversation . . .

Mr. Deghati, to start out, let’s talk about reproducing Neda's photo as masks for Green protests abroad. My first question is, what caused you to come up with such an idea?

Yes, you know, the short video taken of Neda's death was so disturbing that not only Iranians but so many others all over the world were affected by it. It was so moving that Neda, with that final look in her eyes, somehow turned into the symbol of this Iranian civil protest movement. It was at that time that the idea of using Neda's photo as a mask everyone in protests would wear occurred to me. Actually, now that I have this opportunity let me share one memorable experience I had with you. Years ago, I travelled to China to take photos of the Chinese New Year. There I saw how a large group of people were standing beneath a dragon costume in order to give the dragon its shape and make it move. I saw dozens of people truly lose their own identity and become one dragon. I thought to myself, this would not be possible in Iran because if we wanted to do such a thing, we would at some point decide to leave the group activity in order to be seen by others and make our identity known. The idea of using Neda's image for protests was in fact something similar to this…that is unity among all and a common goal; as in "We are all one Neda, we are all one cry."

My next question is about a statement you made when you received the Lucie Award last year, "to help the voice of the Iranian people reach the ears of people around the world." Now I want to ask you, as one of the most active international artists of Iran, how far in your opinion did this voice reach?

You know, there is so much going on in our world today, so many things happening all vying for our attention… Everyday something new happens that crowds out the previous day’s happenings and erases them from our memories… That is why keeping the international attention focused on a single event is extremely difficult. There is also the issue of media and means of communication. To be honest, I should say in today's world the majority of publications around the world are not actually free … that is to say, if you get to the bottom you will either find governments and ruling powers or specific ideologies and beliefs. There is no such thing as absolute freedom. That is why truthful delivery of information is extremely difficult indeed …

Of course, in today's world one seldom finds  the opportunity for face-to-face communication, so where do you think lies the solution?

We need to seek out other ways, ways that may take more time but will work better in the long run. For example, that speech I made at the Lucie Award … using international platforms more often. I still receive emails from all over the world. People tell me about my speech at the Lucie Award and how it made them aware of the condition of Iranian people. We should make the most out of such opportunities. Another issue is continuity and perseverance. If you go to the coppersmiths' bazaar, you will see coppersmiths sitting and hammering away on the metal non-stop. The first strike hardly makes a dent, but in the end all these little strikes add up to something beautiful.

Now do you think all this effort and determination to make people around the world aware will have a direct impact on the condition of a people clearly up against a violent and tyrannical ruling power?

Absolutely. You know, even a spectator witnessing a phenomenon can modify that phenomenon. The Chinese have an interesting proverb that goes "the fluttering of two butterflies in the North Pole can cause a storm in the South Pole …" These things exist even if science does not have a clear explanation for them. Humanity is essentially at the beginning of the path of science and has just started learning its ABCs, so to speak. Some things cannot be analyzed scientifically, but one cannot doubt their existence and their connection with other things. Therefore, if we manage to heighten the sensitivity of people around the world to the state of affairs in Iran and bring their attention to them, I assure you this very concentration of the public opinion on one issue will have a very positive effect on the Iranian society and its brave people.

The last question I have for you actually goes back to the 1979 Revolution. You were in Iran at that time and took photographs of goings-on in the streets and now you are on the other side of the world looking at pictures that come from Iran… I wanted to know what points of similarity and difference you see between those days and these days?

This is a very good question. As you pointed out, I was in Iran and in the middle of the action at the time of the 1979 Revolution. I saw people in the flesh, I took photographs and like everyone else demanded the freedom of Iran from the yoke of tyranny while now I am here only looking on from the outside. In my view, what happened in Iran over the past year is a continuation of the civil movement of Iran, a movement which has been in progress since the Constitutional Revolution as part of the contemporary history of Iran.

A look at history shows that Iran has always been caught in the claws of either monarchical tyranny or religious tyranny. In 1979 we were to be freed from one kind of tyranny, but the religious-minded stole the revolution from the Iranian people. This civil movement is a continuation of those protests that, I hope, will eventually end in the complete overthrow of tyranny and will bring Iranian people the gift of democracy, freedom and equality.