Persian poetry and politics

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1:16If you ever find yourself at a wedding in the Persian-speaking world, prepare for a treat. Not a witty best man speech, but a poetry recital.

1:31It's a tradition for people to use poems during their speeches, whether it's an official ceremony or wedding or any kind of gathering. They try to recite a poem. Everywhere you look in Iran, there's a bit of celebration of Persian poetry. It's incredibly ubiquitous in the culture in general, woven into any major life events. This is one of the beauty of Persian language because of the philosophical meanings or wisdom that are included in this poetry. Poetry sits on the pedestal of Persian identity. Politicians too lean on to it as a means of connecting with their tribe. The lyricism of it is really important for signalling that you're educated and you're from the elite and that is how a lot of Iranian politicians signal that they have the correct credentials.

2:30But as a container of national identity, poetry can sometimes be at odds with the dominant ideology of the day. There's always this kind of contradiction at the heart of the Islamic Republic and also the Iranian population in general because there are parts of Islam and parts of Persian identity that sometimes clash. In this episode, we talk Persian language and poetry. to understand the tensions between different facets of Persian identity. We explore how politicians in today's Persian-speaking world toggle between them as they try to build legitimacy, shape political narratives and reinforce power.

3:15Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service. I'm Krassi Ivanova-Twig, and this is the Global Jigsaw from BBC Monitoring, where we look at the world through the lens of its media, exploring the narratives, the propaganda, and the disinformation. Radio Tehran. We were not involved in the territory of Ukraine. Western countries are not the international community. That era has finished.

3:49We'll start with a pub quiz question. What do Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan have in common? We have representatives of those three countries to tell us. Parnion Sadegi is from our Iran team. Majid Nusrat in the Colors of Afghanistan. And Marov John Ismatov is representing Central Asia. They all speak the same language, but they have different names for it. Maruf John first. Tajiki, Dari and Farsi are dialects of the same language. The Persian language has these three names for geographical and political reasons. The three dialects have some minor differences in accent, vocabulary and script, as well as loanwords.

4:39But the dialects are generally mutually intelligible. People from Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Iran can easily understand each other. Farsi is the name used in Iran, Dari is the name used in Afghanistan and Tajik is the name used in Central Asia. This language is spoken across a vast region, So there are many differences in how it has developed. Barneyon is our Iran analyst. I think Dari is a slightly more pure version of Persian, in the sense that the modern version of Persian is very much mixed in with Arabic and mixed in with other languages. There is a kind of idea that the Persian that spoken in Iran is better in some ways.

5:29But again, I think that that is just based on kind of the elitism that exists. The Afghans have something to say about this, and here comes our third expert, Majid. Modern Persian language took mostly shape in eastern parts of Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia, because they promoted Persian language against Arabic. And over time, this spread to western Iran. Farsi or Persian is historically the dominant language in Afghanistan, on the language of the government, the language of the administration, the language of the trade. At least half of the population speak Persian at home, so it makes it the language of majority.

6:15The word Persian came from Greek. Persian, in fact, translation of Farsi. But in Afghanistan, the language is officially called as Dari. The use of Dari as an alternative name for Farsi started about 60 years ago, when royal families were just politically dominant from the south and ruling elite. They wanted to create a Pashtun identity for Afghanistan, showing that Afghan identity is separate from Iran. Pashtuns make up about 40 % of the population. Tajiks, around 30%. And Uzbeks and Turkmen, maybe around 10%. Hazaras, more or less 10-15%. And this is the estimate they use Persian because it's a language of Franco.

7:06Over in Central Asia, there was a similar push to form a separate identity through language. Persian ended up using a script that was originally created for a Slavonic language, which happens to be my mother tongue, Bulgarian. Cyrillic script is used for Tajik, while Arabic is used for Dari and Farsi. Actually, the Cyrillic script was introduced by the Soviets to form a new identity. These dialects also incorporate long words from different languages, for example, Tajiki from Russian, Dari from English and Farsi from French. How big is the Russian influence on the Tajik language? It is noticeable there are lots of long words in spoken language.

7:56Almost in every sentence you hear one or two Russian words. For example, they don't say in Tajik, ordi or simple. They say, poster. They're speaking Tajik, but they use Russian words. Under local linguistic influences, each version of the language has grown into its own rhythm. For Afghans, Iran's Persian sounds more melodic and musical, while Tajikistan accent sounds more robust and rugged, perhaps due to influences from Russian stress patterns. Persian and Afghanistan more or less influenced by Sanskrit languages from the Indian subcontinent, while Iranian Farsi is more or less influenced by Turkish language.

8:45Iran itself is a linguistic kaleidoscope. And because language is at the heart of identity, there's been a long-running effort to marginalise minority languages and elevate Persian. It's the only official state language. There are lots of regional languages. Azeri in the northwest, and there's Kurdish languages. And then in the southeast near Pakistan, Afghanistan, you have Sistan Baluchistan. They have their own language, Baluch. And then there's Arabic speakers around the Persian Gulf right at the south. Iran, both under Pahlavis and later under Islamic Republic, have been very sensitive to the idea of separatism, have been trying to stop that from happening.

9:28Some estimates is that up to 50 % of the countries speak a second language that is different from Persian. President Masvid Pazeshkian speaks Azeri, and during his campaign he did appeal to that background and wanted to get the votes from that region.

9:47You can interpret this in a way of saying that Azeri is a less threatening language to the establishment than Kurdish would be. But having said that, I think there's a little bit of change happening in Iran and wanting to get those minorities on board. Because again, the Iranian government is trying to unify people post the Israel war, especially. There's a similar picture in Tajikistan. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Tajik remained the sole official language, and it is also spoken in other Central Asian countries. Tajik is used in government, education, media and public life. It serves as a symbol of national identity.

10:31In Uzbekistan, Tajik is recognized as a minority language, but does not have the same official status as Uzbek, which is the sole state language. In Uzbekistan's regions with significant Tajik populations, there are some schools that teach in Tajik. However, access to education in Tajik is limited compared to Uzbek language education, which is predominant throughout the country. Despite the regional linguistic variations, one thing that seems universal across the Persian-speaking world is the love for poetry. People across different countries reach for the same lyrical texts in search of wisdom and inspiration.

11:18You have the Book of Kings written by Ferdowsi. It's called Shahna Meh in Farsi. And it starts from the creation of humanity up until the end of the Sassanian Empire and the conquest of Rome by Arabs. Because of the way that it's woven into the culture, people are really familiar with the language of it, used by different governments in different ways.

11:45My dad brought me this kid's version of Shah Nama, and he would read it to me at night. It was about the seven labors of Rostam, and he was like this Herculean figure.

12:05In the poem, the king is in Herat. His capital is in Bukhara. So what you have is this huge landscape of Persian poetry being connected to different parts. For a bit of Persian geography, Herat is in today's Afghanistan and Bukhara is part of modern Uzbekistan. And then my name, Paranian, when Farsi literature teachers would hear it, they would recite this very famous poem by Rudaki, which is known as the father of Persian poetry. It's a poem about King who went to campaign and his advisors wanted him to come back home. And the poet, Rudaki, writes about how good home is. And Paranion features in it.

12:49And Paranion translates like a soft, velvety material in Farsi. So it's about you go home and everything feels soft and remember how good home is. Parnion and the meaning of her name touches on an important issue for all Persian speakers, connection to the roots. Shifting borders and geopolitics have led to the formation of distinctive identities, all claiming the bloodline of the greats of Persian poetry. Many people in Afghanistan often take offence when Iranians describe all classical Persian poets including figures such as Rumi, Nasser Khisrau and Jami, who were born in Afghanistan as Iranian poets rather than poets of the wider Persian world.

13:37And Firdausi himself is the father of Persian language and he lived around a thousand years ago. He presented his book, Shah Nama, at the royal court of Ghaznaweed in today's Afghanistan.

14:06And the name of those places are mostly in today's Afghanistan and Tajikistan rather than Iran. So people say, look, it is us that have given rise to the language. Why Iranians just monopolising everything? Under different dynasties, those poets are claimed by different parts. For example, Rumi is claimed by both Iranians and Turkish speakers because he was in what is now currently modern Turkey. So we have national identity around these poets and poems who don't really fit within that mould because these borders are quite new and the mythologies that are within those poems belong to a huge, vast population.

14:51Beyond its beauty and lyricism, poetry has a real purpose. It works like social glue. Poetry holds a significant place in the day-to-day life of Persian speakers in Central Asia. Poetry is a vital part of the cultural identity. It connects them to the historical roots and the broader Persian literary tradition. It is common for people to recite poetry during social gatherings, weddings and religious ceremonies. In Persian, there is a politician speaking. They recite a nice poem relevant to the topic to just make the event a bit lively and tasty. To be knowledgeable about Persian poetry shows also someone's educated background.

15:41That's why a lot of people try to also include some Persian poetry in their speeches. Poetry has another important function for the elites and the common people. It lives in an oral tradition belonging to everyone, including those who lack formal education. Because of the philosophical meanings or wisdom in this poetry, it makes them easier to remember. So that's why it's easy even for ordinary people to just listen and keep it in mind and recite it later. My maternal auntie is eight years old. A woman has not been to school for a single day, but still recites Persian poetry every five minutes during the conversation.

16:28I myself like reading poems and follow many modern poets on social media. Some of them very popular. And also their books were even published in Iran. They're also popular there. It's time for some poetry reading. Let me read a verse from Mirza Tursunzoda.

17:02It was a famous story during the Soviet times. The poem was about friendship. He says, value kind friends. It's difficult to live in this world without friends. One of the biggest poems that I love comes from Nasser Khisrau, who lived around 800 years ago. And he's asking lots of questions from God, saying, look, you have created Satan, lust, and so many other bad temptation or good temptation. But at the same time, tell us to avoid all these. So how could I resist? He said, you have created these Bulgarian beauties. But at the same time, you tell us, avoid them. So how could I do that? In Persian poetry, they use Bulgarian or Turks as a metaphor for beauty.

17:52Really? Yes. Mostly woman beauty, but also some nature beauty, whatever. So it's a kind of a metaphor. Wow. This poetry challenges religious belief that normally is full of contradiction and paradoxes. As a Bulgarian, I was curious to discover that our fame traveled so far. Moving west to Iran, Parneon tells us life wouldn't be the same without poetry. It's incredibly ubiquitous in the culture in general. It's woven into any major life events. You can see it in Iranian New Year, which is Nowruz, the beginning of spring. And people celebrate spring setting up a table and put different books on it.

18:35And some families would put the Koran in and some might put the Hafez in. They want to incorporate poetry into that.

18:45The way the Persian corpus at Vobin and you kind of see like small couplets having been written on top. Everywhere you look in Iran, there's a bit of celebration of Persian poetry because it's been such a huge tradition and such a huge part of people's life. Is the US conceding the green energy race to China? When the Trump administration said it was pulling out of the Paris Agreement for a second time, it seemed like a wholesale withdrawal from the climate change question. All the while, China's becoming a global powerhouse of green technology. What could happen in the long run if the US continues to cede the floor to China on clean energy?

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20:35you're listening to the documentary from the bbc world service as a form of artistic expression helping unite the nation poetry is a powerful tool in the hands of politicians president rahman usually delivers speeches in tajig and sometimes uses poetry

21:04On Flag Day, President Rahman recited a poem from Firdausi's Shahna Me. I observed him frequently reciting poems by Rudaki, who is widely recognized as the founder of classical Persian literature. President Emomali Rahmon, who was a Soviet-era bureaucrat, is such a fan of the Book of Kings that he's said to have ordered it for every Tajik household.

21:38You know, it's a tradition for people to use poems during their speeches. Through this, maybe they want to gain people's affection to them.

21:55When visiting regions, President Rahmon is met by children or young people reciting poems praising him. People are also encouraged to compose poems for president. In every visit, every local official tries to present a new, better poem devoted to the president. It's a kind of competition. You can see why knowledge of poetry is a must for a Persian-speaking politician. It provides an important connection with the people, and it shows the right level of education and legitimacy. Similarly to the way British audiences might think about classics, which is knowing Greek and Latin, but it is like have it woven into the way you speak.

22:46The lyricism of it is really important for signaling that you're educated. A lot of Iranian politicians went to seminary school and that is how they signal that they have the correct credentials to say, not only did I go to seminary school, but also I have this Persian poetry background. It's one thing you can't afford to get wrong if you're a politician, something former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani found out the hard way. President Ashraf Ghani recited a Persian poem from Rodeke in Tajikistan. He misread it without knowing that he misread it, but everyone knew that he made a mistake, meaning that he is probably not that good in Persian poetry.

23:36This happened in March 2021, and during reciting a poem by Rudaki, he made mistakes, and this sparked a reaction on social media, criticising him. They mocked him mostly because they thought this guy is exaggerating about his skills, about his education, but often he makes simple mistakes. You are listening to The Global Jigsaw from BBC Monitoring. Beyond lending politicians' credibility, poetry has at times taken on another important mantle to act as checks and balances for those in charge. The idea that they were irresponsible kings who would abandon their duties and poets were an important part of bringing them back to their duties and giving advice.

24:36Poets were given money by the king and they were kept as part of the court. These poets, even back in the 13th century, 14th century, they were writing it as a way to criticise the way they saw society and a lot of the time the way they saw religious people. There has always been a continuation of that. With the 1979 revolution, religion became the dominant force in Iran. The theocratic rulers were aiming for absolute power. Knowledge of poetry wasn't high on their agenda. The founder of the Islamic revolution, Imam Khomeini, was obviously very strict.

25:16The idea that a cleric should be in charge of Iran because of the way that he knows about guidance of God and you can say that that was very much like an innovation in Shia Islam. The world came to know Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as an austere Puritan. But after his death, a surprising side of him came to light. After he died, his son sent a poem to a newspaper by him to get published. Whether or not he wrote actually these poems. There's actually not a lot of reason to believe that it would be fake, other than the fact that he doesn't have the correct persona for a poet. And the poems on a literary level, they are very much celebrated.

25:59They are good. What are they about? They are in the tradition of Hafiz and Rumi. On the face of it, they have a lot of imagery which is to do with a lover's hair or wine or being drunk in love.