By: Azad Karimi
I think it has a lotto do with the story about the story. A story can be greatbutif it is not nurtured by others it will fall intooblivion.
Interview
Swedish Author Alfred Skogberg
By Azad Karimi
These days we hear and read strange news from Iran and among other things, I read yesterday that a Kurdish boxer was killed in Tehran. He was arrested a few days ago in the Tehran metro and his body was delivered to his family yesterday, February 9th. His name is Mehrdad Taleshi, 21 years old and from Diwandara. Iranian officials say Mehrdad crime is that he was suspected of carrying drugs.
This is while Mehrdad did not have anything when they inspected it, who had never smoked a single cigarette in his life. He was not addicted. He never had materials. He was a boxer. After following up with the family, they said that they found 7 grams of marijuana in the pocket of a guy who was a friend of Mehrdad. "That is, the person who was arrested along with Mehrdad." Now his family wants to know the cause of the death of their son in Shahpur police station Tehran.
My source is Radio Farda, which I rarely cite, but I find it interesting that a very conservative radio station, which is fundamentally opposed to covering issues related to Kurdistan and the Kurds in Iran, covers this news but more surprisingly, this young Kurd is killed because marijuana was found in his friend's pocket.
I am confused, although I am from Kurdistan and I came to Europe from Iran but I have not understood this thing after 46 years old and of course I do not expect you to don't be confused.
What do you, the reader of these writings, think?
There is an old joke in the Kurdish language that is very funny and exactly evokes the logic and reasoning of the Islamic Republic:
One guy was sitting somewhere and a voice came out of him. Someone asked why did you do that? This is rudeness.!
He replied: Because of cracked heels food!
Now the agents of the Iranian regime have killed a young man for no reason and they argue that the cause of his death was finding marijuana in the pocket of the victim's friend!
These are the arguments of a regime that once wanted to create a great civilization or to establish a dialogue of civilizations and their mercenaries have infiltrated various international organizations and are sheding tears for Hamas Palestinians and Yemeni Houthis and Lebanese Shi'as but they are silent for the Kurds in Iran.
One day, these hypocrites must be tried and punished because they violate the principle of neutrality and justice and do not allow international organizations to do useful work in this regard to improve the situation of the Kurds in Iran.
In an interview with my dear friend and colleague Alfred from Sweden, I wanted to write about literature and literary criticism, but our mission as writers is basically nothing but to reflect the pain of the people.
I remember a few years ago the Plasco tower in Tehran was deliberately blown up and several poor firefighters were buried under the tower. Plasco was the first tall building in Iran to be built by an Iranian Jewish capitalist. In 1979, the tower was confiscated by Islamists and mullahs because it was owned by a Jew and he was executed because he was a Jew.
On the day the regime blew up the tower, regime agents killed several Kurdish businessmen at the border.
Naturally, we were upset about both but we were surprised to see that many Iranians wrote on social media that Plasco was more important than the murder of several Kurds in the mountains of Kurdistan.
Personally, I suffer from retelling these things, but there is no other way to convey the pain of my nation to the world.
When the Plasco Tower was confiscated and its owner was executed and his family displaced, no one said anything, but these people were sad for its ruins.
A backward and unreliable nation that the collapse of morality and human solidarity in this society has reached its bottom.
When you are a writer and you feel committed when you write you feel and understand with all your being what you are writing about and this is very annoying.
When I go back to the past, I give myself the right not to get married and have children, because I was falling apart from my ideals and maybe I would not be a good wife for my wife and a good father for my children, because my head was full of beautiful ideals and human and for these ideals, you have to pay exorbitant costs of life, and I could only make the sacrifice of not hurt others with myself.
You have to be a Kurd to imagine or endure these sufferings but it is beautiful to work and sacrifice for yourself and others to whom you have no obligation. To improve the living conditions of some people in a corner of the world where you are born among them.
It snowed heavily in this part of Norway this year. It reminded me of my first year of school, winter 1981. It snowed a lot that year, and I was learning the alphabet, understanding the nature around me, recognizing the snow, and helping my mother get the snow out of the yard.
It is my happiness to live in Norway, which has a lot of snow, like my hometown, where Zoroaster was born a few thousand years ago.
Many scientists, philosophers, and writers in Europe praised him and have written a lot about him for example, Friedrich Nietzsche, the famous German writer, and philosopher who has a book named about him:
...Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None (German: Also sprach Zarathustra: Ein Buch für Alle und Keinen, also translated as Thus Spake Zarathustra. Norwegian: Slik talte Zarathustra)...Wikipedia.
I will write about this soon and what is written in ancient texts about the birthplace of Zoroaster and I would like to write about Clavis Artis. In this book, there are paintings related to Zoroaster and a cross on her hat.
Thanks to my friends who worked with me and helped me with this project. Because they strengthened my motivation to take the opportunity to write.
Dear Alfred, I wish you success and happiness. I hope that our cooperation will expand because the experience of living in Scandinavia and the free world is different from the experiences of writers in backward and underdeveloped regions of the world and the cooperation of these two types of experience can help the development of democracy for cultural and economic progress in the Middle East, and especially in dictatorial countries such as Iran, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen.
Thank you!
Vestland-Norway
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1.Please present yourself (Name, education, job, Civil status and...)
.My name is Alfred Skogberg, I am a journalist having work edmostly with suicide prevention in the NGO I founded in 2013, Suicide Zero. Right now I mostly focus on the NGO I created to gether with house historian, Gustav Bergström. This NGO is called Renoveringsraseriet. We look at how land lords are taking care of their houses and we investigate why so many want to throw away the beautiful details from the houses. I have my two daughters every second week and a girlfriend.
2-what is yourculturalspecialize?
.I have spent about 17 years working to prevent suicides. Currently I focus more on the climate impact restoration has on our ability to reach our climate goals.
3- When and how did you become interested in this field of culture? .Regarding suicide my childhood friend Jonas died by suicide in 1993. I wanted to give some sort of meaning to his meaningless death. Regarding Renoveringsraseriet I have since being young always wondered why it is so many land lord remove a lot of the beauty associated with old houses and why they replace it with junk. Doing so they can raise the rent which makes me even more puzzled.
4- Who was your motivator?
.See answer above.
5- What was your parent's reaction?
.All very positive.
6- When started you such as a professional Journalist?
.I took my exam in 2004.
7- Are you thankful and happy because of your activities as Journalist and Author?
.Yes, it has led to a lot of understanding and meetings with people from all sorts of life.
8-Tell usPlease: Do yousee a special connectbetweenAuthor and culture, betweenliterary and culture?
.Well yes, when you can put words on things people think about but have not yet put towords, then you help society evolve. Being a journalist/author is great for doing just that.
9- Youare a translator, pleasetellus:
I- Why we need to read the literary texts?
. No I am not a translator.
II- What is literature and journalism role and itsresults in our cultural behaviours?
.Hopefully it inspires people to act, and not just think.
III- Whatare the characteristicsof a goodnovel?
.A story that moves you emotionally and preferably also, in your daily life.
10- Why do someliteraryworksbecomeimmortal?
.I think it has a lotto do with the story about the story. A story can be greatbutif it is not nurtured by others it will fall intooblivion.
11- Howyousee the view, the futureofliterature and culture?
.You are an Author; you have opinions surely... If I should use my daughters interest as an indicator it is quitede pressing. They use their mobiles constantly and it is really difficult to get them to read a book. However sound books are becoming more and more popular. Hopefully it will grow even more.
12- Howyousee the view, the futureof journalism, Literary, Professional writing culture?
.Youare a writer-reporter, you should have a opinion... I am worried. Too few seem to put interest in the written word and the trend has long been headed in the wrong direction. However I think NGO´s with a special field of interest can generate momentum for their ideasif they become good enough to emotionally capture the imagination of their followers.
13- Canyoubecomeone part of the culturalmovement for motivation in youth or new generation in your country and so than?
.I hope to do so with Renoveringsraseriet. There is a lotof emotion stirred when old and historically important buildings and construction details are being thrown away and replaced with rubbish. If you can channel that frustration you can affect many.
14- Howcanyouhelpourworldbecome a betterplace for living?
.By contributing with my knowledge and skills to highlight whats is hidden.
15- Have you more word to say or suggestion for our readers?
.For our democracy it is crucial that more engage in NGO´s. They need all the help they can get.
Here is my linked in profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/skogberg/
Renoveringsraseriet on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4D_ay_rFOGZZBiBOX75efA
