Remembering Fereydoun Farrokhzad

Public Programs

Remembering Fereydoun Farrokhzad

Presented by Diaspora Arts Connection |

June 3, 2023, 2–4 PM

طراوت | TARAVAT Pride Performance: Remembering Fereydoun Farrokhzad with Diaspora Arts Connection

Join us Saturday, June 3 from 2-4pm for Remembering Fereydoun Farrokhzad, a music, poetry, and community event in remembrance and celebration of queer Iranian activist, poet, and entertainer Fereydoun Farrokhzad, who was brutally murdered in Germany in 1992.

San Francisco-based guitarist and singer Mohammad Talani will be accompanied by San Jose-based musician Narges Jajarmi on accordion, performing some of the most popular Fereydoun Farrokhzad songs. Members from the Iranian community will read selections from Fereydoun Farrokhzad’s poetry collection Another Season.

This program is presented in collaboration with Diaspora Arts Connection as part of the public programming for YBCA’s ongoing exhibition طراوت | TARAVAT, which highlights the voices, struggles, and personal stories of artists in the Bay Area who are carrying the torch of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement and LBGTQIA2S+ rights globally.

About Fereydoun Farrokhzad (1938-1992)

Fereydoun Farrokhzad was an Iranian singer, actor, poet, TV and radio host, writer, humanitarian, and iconic opposition political figure who advocated for an open society that accepted all people. He is best known for his variety TV show Mikhak-e Noghrei (The Silver Carnation), which introduced many artists who became famous such as Ebi, Leila Forouhar, Shohreh, and Sattar. He was the brother of the acclaimed Persian poets Forough Farrokhzad and Pooran Farrokhzad. Farrokhzad was forced into exile after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and relocated to Germany. He continued producing opposition radio programs and books. In his numerous shows worldwide, and most notably at the Royal Albert Hall in London, he criticized Khomeini. He received death threats for his vocal opposition. Sadly, Farrokhzad was the victim of an unsolved murder on August 7, 1992, widely believed to be the work of the Islamic Republic Government of Iran. Farrokhzad remains a significant Iranian cultural icon whose popular music and television programs continue to be circulated through various media platforms. Fereydoun Farrokhzad has been honored by San Francisco’s Rainbow Honor Walk through installation of a plaque in the Castro District, remembering him as a world LGBTQIA2S+ pioneer.

Mohammad Talani

Narges Jajarmi

Diaspora Arts Connection

Diaspora Arts Connection (DAC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that aims to foster deeper understanding and lasting connections among diverse cultural and ethnic groups within the San Francisco Bay Area. DAC organizes cultural and artistic events, as well as empowers artists by offering them a platform for artistic expression.

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Lead image: Artwork by Keyvan Shovir. Courtesy of Diaspora Arts Connection.

YBCA Programs are made possible in part by MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett, California Arts Council, #StartSmall, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Tambourine, the San Francisco Arts Commission, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Marilyn Conrad Trust, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, William G. Irwin Charity Foundation, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Walter & Elise Haas Fund, The Bernard Osher Foundation, In memory of Kevin King,The Sato Foundation, New England Foundation for the Arts, Gaia Fund, and YBCA Members.

Generous support provided by Blue Shield of California. Blue Shield of California is an independent member of the Blue Shield Association.

YBCA is grateful to the City of San Francisco for its ongoing support.