Nava Jangook is one of the women who has pursued singing and music professionally in Iran. She, who is the daughter of the renowned musician, master Ata Jangook, a researcher and music teacher in Iran, talks about her experiences in the field of art and the discrimination and obstacles faced by artists in Iran, especially women, in an interview with Khat-e-Solh. She believes that in the past four decades, many female singers have been forgotten and lost in silence.

Please introduce yourself and explain how long you have been involved in music.

I started music from childhood, like many other artists who begin music from childhood and with the Orff method. After this period of training, I chose the classical violin and took a short course with Mr. Arsalan Kamkar. I also worked with Mrs. Ghanbari Mehr, the daughter of the great violinist, for a while. I didn’t really connect with the instrument. Since I was born and raised in an artistic and musical environment, I used to sing and play tambourine with my brother from a young age. Because I had a good voice, I was encouraged. I had a keen ear and I felt that maybe singing was my path, even though there was never any pressure from my family to continue with music. Around the age of eight, I started learning Iranian music with Mrs. Masoumeh Mehr Ali. The classes were held in groups and I remember the first lesson I learned from her was a Gilaki corner in Dashti singing. My

In light of the prohibition of singing and playing music by women, how do you see the progress women have made in the field of music in the past forty years?

See, for the past forty years, we have always had a ban on women singing, but I remember when I was a child, there was no ban on women playing music on stage at all. This issue is relatively new and has recently been added to other music-related problems. Now, playing music is also forbidden for women and they are even pushed off the stage. Throughout these forty years, solo singing has always been forbidden for women. In fact, women were only allowed to sing in situations where their voices were hidden under the voice of a man or men; so that it would be less “provocative”! In response to your question, I can say that we did not have an opportunity for women in music to be able to discuss the process in a proper and deep way or to compare it.

The limitations imposed by the laws of Iran regarding singing and playing music by women make the field narrower for them and the space more competitive. Has engaging in professional activities in this cultural context created a change in your motivation to continue?

Regarding my personal experience, I can say that my motivation in this field was destroyed in Iran. When we talk about the prohibition of women’s voices, it can actually be attributed to discrimination and violence against women. Although this comes from the heart of the Islamic government and religion, it is also a part of the culture of society. The reason for these prohibitions and restrictions is partly due to fear. When you are afraid of something, you try to destroy it or push it away. In this way, it’s like you are pushing away your own psychological fears. This may be a form of defense mechanism against the fear of being contaminated by sin! In my opinion, the issue is not simply about the prohibitions and discrimination imposed by the government on women, but rather the deeper dimensions of this phenomenon. Under such conditions where women do not have equal opportunities for growth and development as men, and their voices are trapped and silenced, it can lead to them turning against each other. It is not

Despite what is said, women’s freedom is the measure of a society’s freedom; we hear that women’s issues are not a priority in the country. In your opinion, where do women stand in society and specifically in the field of music?

This idea that it is neglectful to have women in society face problems and their issues not be a priority! Even though I was not born during the early days of the revolution in 57, from what I have heard, from those days and months of the revolution, there have always been people, even among intellectuals, who have used the excuse that since they see women as the “second sex”, they have claimed that the issue of women is not currently being addressed and that there are more important issues. How is it possible for there to be discrimination and violence against women in a society and for it not to be a societal issue? Unless, fundamentally, that society is deprived of health! In fact, in these recent months, I have been working on this very issue and in a conversation I had with a friend – who I consider to be an open-minded and enlightened person – he also believed that the current issue in our society is not the issue of women, but rather more important issues such

In reports, we hear that sometimes the Ministry of Guidance issues a license for an album or performance, but the supervision of the Ministry of Guidance orders its cancellation. In fact, throughout these years, the government has had a subjective approach towards musicians in the field of music. In your opinion, could the reason be that there is no unified opinion in terms of jurisprudence and law in this matter?

These words are empty excuses. It means that if this is really the case, it means that the country has no law. But from a jurisprudential perspective, I do not want to address the issue from this angle. In my view, the issue is about sick minds that manipulate laws and use various methods to discriminate against and commit violence against women. It is not a jurisprudential issue, it is meaningless from my perspective. It is a human issue, not a matter of jurisprudential laws and principles.

“We know that art is a part of life and the identity of an artist, and it requires expression and having an audience. In fact, preventing an artist from their art is preventing them from living. How have women fought for their rights in the music industry in recent years? In the current situation, what methods can they use to make their voices heard?”

See, maybe in this field you might call it a struggle. I accept that there are many women and in general many professors who have continued their professional activities throughout all these years – to the extent that they could. In a way, it seems like they have pulled their heads out of the water in every situation they could, to speak their minds and present their work, and in general, they have tried to persevere. But from my perspective, the issue of suppression and struggle is deeply intertwined with the psychological characteristics of artists, and surely among them, there have been women who have lost themselves more and have been forgotten in silence. The noteworthy point is that when you are faced with an issue like ideology, religion, jurisprudence, and Islamic laws, it becomes even harder; much harder. In fact, you are faced with a series of taboos and the struggle in this area is not easy. Struggle in such circumstances may be defined as being able to persevere and make

Do you think if you weren’t a woman, the field for your professional activities in Iran would have been much more open?

I have never wanted to not be a woman! Maybe I could have continued with music much easier; with spaces that are more familiar to my heart and ears. But as the child of a musician, I have also experienced my father’s life difficulties in a way. Overall, the conditions for artists who are truly independent and outside the system, and who want to continue and express themselves, are by no means easy and in Iran, especially in the field of music, the difficulties become even harder; even for men. Of course, the obstacles for men are less; because the sickening gender bias that puts women in the spotlight does not weigh as heavily on men.

In your opinion, how have men’s roles in the music industry been in relation to the women’s movement? Have they been alongside women or have they been hindering them in recent years?

It’s not easy for me to generalize this issue to all men. In my opinion, there have been men who have thought and acted differently, and many have even been obstacles and have taken advantage of women’s limitations. I believe that the men of our fathers’ generation were more enlightened beings. They read more, asked more questions, and perhaps had a deeper understanding of human concepts. I agree that the patriarchal culture has a history of over forty years, but my experience with my own generation in Iran shows that the Islamic government’s educational system has achieved what it wanted in cultural aspects. Of course, alongside all of this, I also know people from my own generation who protest against these discriminations against women and even try to make their voices heard by the authorities.

If in the middle of a performance, the female artist is prevented from continuing her work, what should be the reaction of the male artists present in the group?

If I were in the place of the men in the group, I wouldn’t go on stage. This could be a step towards protesting against inequality, but from another perspective, if that performance doesn’t go on stage, the issue may not seem important. Months ago, some of my friends, who are members of an important orchestra in Italy, came to Tehran through an agreement between the governments of Iran and Italy for cultural exchange. They were supposed to perform a famous opera by Giuseppe Verdi in Tehran. In one of the group’s rehearsals, the inspectors objected to the presence of female singers and told them that they could not go on stage with female singers under any circumstances. In the end, with the help of the Italian conductor, they came to the conclusion that to solve the problem, they should fill the lines of soprano and mezzo-soprano with silence! The issue did not end there and in the next rehearsals, they also banned two female violinists and told

Considering that the new generation appears to be more rebellious and more focused on pursuing civil demands, how do you see the future of Iranian music?

I do not know my own generation as a generation with its head down, and I do not know the new generation as an idealist. We were a generation that had inherited a revolution from our fathers and mothers, who had suffered and overcome a looted and defeated revolution, and we were raised by that generation. The new generation may seem determined to fight for their rights, but their demands are mostly limited to social freedoms like hijab, dancing, etc. In general, I see a depressed and apathetic society in these years (of course, I am also a part of it), which is only interested in forgetting and has no desire to think. Look at the state of classical music in Iran and at the same time, consider music in the years before and at the beginning of the revolution. I mean comparing the art and music of our parents’ generation with the art and music of today. In my opinion, our classical music has been destroyed and transformed from somewhere. Maybe because we

Thank you for accepting this conversation. As a final note, if you have anything to say, please go ahead.

In conclusion, I would like to remind you of a few points. First, it is important for each of us to speak out against any discrimination and injustice according to our knowledge and abilities. However, when it comes to the ban on women’s voices, for example, people like Ms. “Masih Alinejad” or others launch campaigns and invite women to sing. Some even make videos of themselves singing in the kitchen or under the shower… In all of these events, the strange thing that is forgotten is that we have women who have dedicated their entire lives to understanding music and singing, and this cannot be reduced to a woman singing in the kitchen or in the shower. This is not the right perspective on the issue. Singing is a skill, profession, and art for many Iranian women. And I emphasize that my discussion is solely about the ban on singing for women in Iran, without favoring any specific genre of music. I know for sure that we have female singers in Iran