Londons Saqi Books is to publish a collection of eye witness accounts and artwork marking the first anniversary of the protests by women in Iran following the death of Jina Mahsa Amini at the hands of Irans morality police on 16 September 2022. Her death sparked widespread protests across Iran and in many other countries. Thousands of women took to the streets, uncovering their hair, burning headscarves and chanting Woman, Life, Freedom in mass demonstrations that resonated around the world.
The book takes the chant of the protesters as its title. Women, Life Freedom, Voices and Art from the Womens Protests in Iran is edited by Malu Halasa, a writer and editor based in London who edited the acclaimed Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline. The publisher says the book captures this historic moment and the wave of creative resistance that followed in artwork and first-person accounts. The collection goes behind the scenes at forbidden fashion shows; records the sound of dissent in Iran, where it is illegal for women to sing unaccompanied in public; and walks the streets of Tehran with The Smarties Gen Z women who colour and show their hair in defiance of the authorities, despite potentially devastating consequences. This moving collection features a wide range of art and writing by more than fifty contributors, both from within Iran and the diaspora, many of whom are using pseudonyms due to continued threats.
Lynn Gaspard, publisher and MD at Saqi Books, acquired World Rights from the books editor Malu Halasa. Gaspard said: This deeply moving testimony to resistance is a unique collection, the first in fact, to showcase the art and writing from the womens protests in Iran. It honours Iranian womens voices who continue to risk their lives to enact change. We are very proud to be working with the formidable editor, Malu Halasa, to bring their voices to the fore.
The title will be published in paperback on 12 September 2023.