Farewell to the Minister of Minority Affairs
Farewell to the Minister of Minority Affairs, including ministries such as the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and like other ministries, there is a lot of news these days about it. On the other hand, the Cultural and Islamic Guidance Committee of the Transfer Steering Council of the Fourteenth Government has announced without naming a specific candidate that 10 people have been nominated to take over this ministry.
On the other hand, Mohammad Mehdi Esmaeili, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance of the Thirteenth Government, said that he did not expect it to end so soon and has mentioned his return to the university.
Furthermore, Mahmoud Salari, the Deputy for Art Affairs of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, described the activities of the Thirteenth Government in the field of culture and art in the program ‘Saf-e Aval’ on the news network.
Nevertheless, if we look through the eyes of artists at what happened during the 2 years, 9 months, and 19 days of the presence of the Thirteenth Government in power, and Mohammad Mehdi Esmaeili sitting in the ministerial chair, there is no shortage of harsh criticisms.
The unsheathed sword
Before Mohammad Mehdi Esmaeili was elected as the fourteenth Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance of the Thirteenth Government with 181 in favor, 77 against, and 28 abstentions, he had already made headlines with his 83-page proposed program.
During the intense programs, the current situation in the performing arts, music, cinema, books, press, and general culture was described as very chaotic and disturbing, and solutions to organize it had been presented to the representatives of the parliament.
He considered some works of the performing arts community as promoting secularism, inducing despair, promoting lawlessness, and un-Islamic lifestyle.
He also criticized many films for portraying a positive image of what he considered immoral, promoting national humiliation, inducing religious and national deviation. He also referred to the cinema as lacking legal authority and the music industry as the main crisis center.
This program, with 83 pages, sparked widespread criticism and led to the cultural and artistic community, cinema professionals, and theater members standing against one of the most controversial options in the proposed cabinet of the 13th government.
Mohammad Mehdi Esmaeili took over the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in such circumstances.
He officially started working from Thursday, the fourth of Shahrivar 1400, at the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
Ismaeili declared in a meeting with Seyyed Abbas Salehi, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Hassan Rouhani’s government, that addressing the consequences of the coronavirus is the ministry’s top priority.
Although it could be said that the first fundamental challenge he faced occurred a year later, coinciding with his presence in the ministry during the September 1401 protests.
Two different narratives of one event.
Mohammad Mehdi Ismaeili’s account, who believes that the year 1402 was the most flourishing period of culture and art in the country, is closer to a part of the artistic community’s narrative and far from another part of the narrative that emerged during and after the September 1401 protests.
On August 1403, in a meeting of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance’s managers, he referred to this event as the cultural turmoil of 1401 and described its leaders mainly as cultural, sports, and literary figures.
Ismaeili added that one of the most important actions of my friends in various sections of the ministry was not allowing the cultural and art sector to be shut down. The fourteenth Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance of the Islamic Republic of Iran did not make references to months of closure of all artistic activities and did not say that some preferred to leave the scene as a protest gesture empty so that galleries, theater halls, cinemas, concert venues, and art spaces would remain silent for days.
Ismaeili did not mention days when he asked artists to return to the stage and did not recall days when he said that security institutions are the motivator and follower of initiating cultural and artistic programs.
Alongside these references, he did not mention various legal problems that have arisen for artists.
According to lawyers, we know that dealing with these issues is beyond the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and falls within the competence of judicial authorities. However, it could have been possible for coordinated working groups to be formed in collaboration with judicial authorities in the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance to reduce the consequences of legal problems through bilateral interactions.
The difference between what is written on paper and what actually happens.
Mahmoud Salarie, the artistic deputy of the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, on Tuesday evening, July 23, 2024, on the news network, mentioned achievements of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance of the Thirteenth Government, such as supporting artists through the Art Fund, reviving regional festivals, bridging the gap between the audience and performing arts, drafting music documents, and promoting them, as well as revitalizing music in regions.
These matters can each be discussed and questioned in detail.
For example, regarding the drafting and promulgation of music documents, it is worth noting that many artists in this field believe that a music work cannot be documented. They emphasize that the current document has remained silent on many issues and has focused on phrases like ‘exquisite music,’ which are like pitfalls.
Documents and approvals that are still making headlines until the last days of Mohammad Mehdi Esmaeili’s presence in the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, including a resolution on the verge of approval by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution regarding film production and screening, which has also faced strong reactions from the cinema community, but Esmaeili considered filmmakers’ concerns about it unfounded.
In addition to all of these, it must be noted that both the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance and his artistic deputy deliberately ignore a part.
A part that has taken shape by an unofficial movement and by artists who no longer consider themselves obligated to obtain permits, including unauthorized cinema screenings, performances, and books that could forever change the path of Iran’s culture and art.
In the end, Mohammad Mehdi Esmaeili, although he always considered himself the minister of all cultural and artistic people, showed in practice that he is only the minister of a few individuals close to his beliefs and interests.
