social politics | Resonance FM Podcasts

This week we hear from our Iranian contingent I Ran Into Iran on the social politics of single motherhood in Iran, and an interview with artist Shezad Dawood at Art Dubai 2014 on the eve of his screening Towards the Possible Film. Plus we go out with a track by Scotland-based jazz explorers GOL from their new album ‘Strange Times‘.

Maryam Abolfazli is an international development and online media professional based in Washington DC, exploring and researching ideas of single motherhood both in Iran and US at 34. For the I Ran Into Iran Episode 7 our duo quiz her on her work and research into single parenting. Abolfazli makes the distinction between single motherhood as a choice option for those in the developed and ‘undeveloped’ world and connects the pressures with everything from fighting a fight with the help of a support and possible drug addiction without.

Towards the Possible Film – Shezad Dawood

Shezad Dawood’s film screens April 3rd at Parasol Unit Gallery, London as a preview to the solo exhibition of work at Parasol 4 April to 25 May 2014. As part of the new Art Dubai section Film, he staged a Q&A after the screening and stopped by our booth at #Falgoosh Radio to discuss themes touched in his film, such as experimental anthropology, everyday aliens and future tribalisms.

An interesting aspect of Dawood’s creative process for this project is that he publicly critiqued and discussed the film before it was made and so turned the traditional film making format around. Broadcasts across London on 104.4FM or online, Thurs 19:30, Sun 06.30 GMT.

“Six Pillars to Persia” is a focus on Middle Eastern, and wider arts and culture on air and online on arts-music station Resonance104.4FM.

Camila Batmanghelidjh (daughter of the renowned Iranian doctor Dr Batman: cure by water) is a psychotherapist and founder/director of Kids’ Company.

Born in Tehran to prosperous Iranian and Belgian parents, Batmanghelidjh went to public school and is severely dyslexic. She did her studies using a tape recorder instead of pen and paper, received a first class Honours degree in theatre and dramatic arts, then a Masters on the philosophy of counseling and psychotherapy, two years of child observation and a course in art therapy at Goldsmiths. After four years of psychotherapy training she worked with children as a nanny, and discovered her talent.

Batmanghelidjh used her mortgage repayments to set up The Place2Be, a psychotherapy and counseling service to children in schools. It is now a national project and serves in excess of 20,000 children a year.

For ten years Kids Company has survived due to the support of charitable trusts and businesses, twice Camila re-mortgaged her flat for Kids Company’s lack of funding. Camila won the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2005. She has written Shattered Lives: Children Who Live with Courage and Dignity, ISBN 1-84310-434-2 and other papers. In 2006 alone she was nominated in ‘The Good List ’06’, of exceptional people and appeared at the Conservative Party Conference and was made Woman of the year.

She curated two major art exhibitions, Shrinking Childhoods at the Tate Modern in ’05 and Demons and Angels: Does it have to be this way? at Shoreditch Town Hall. Lastly as testimony to the widespread interest in her work, Camila appeared on Desert Island Discs in October, 2006 and talks here to Fari Bradley about the company, the children and the things that make the work necessary, accompanied by one of the many that Kids Company has helped.

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