Thursday, May 10, 2007

Abjeez -- Persian Pop

How many Americans realize Persian means Iranian?
Not many is my guess.
I was once surprised at the depth of ignorance of world geography and culture among my peers, but not any more. I've watched it for a long time. Some Brit said the main reason Americans go to war is to learn geography.

Meantime as serious leaders with good intentions continue to gird their loins for yet another war, this time with Iran, a large number of young people from Iran continue their love affair with pop music and fashion, despite efforts of clerics that would have them be more discreet.

Via Serendip, an Iranian blog I have been following, here is a Swedish Persian pop music group making a splash. They have just started a US tour.


abjee (aab.gee)Persian slang for sister ...

and that’s just what they are - Safoura and Melody Safavi. Backed by a colorful crew of musicians, the two abjee’s present their own original brand of Persian world pop! Their lyrics, often humorous and sometimes rebellious, are written in Farsi, but the expressive groove of the music and the abjees’ dramatic delivery break down all language barriers to create a new synthesis of cultures.



I'm not all that interested in pop music, but I know when something important is going on.
YouTube already has a string of videos.
(YouTube is a good place to take a cultural pulse.)
Some of the comments are not kind, but others are more positive.

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