Tara here: I began writing Disclaimer a few years ago, and this past Saturday we did our first public production of the piece, at The Public. The week leading up to that was, in my memory, the closest Iran and the US ever came to all out war. This lifelong fear that I talk about in this show was appearing to become a reality. I hope, despite the ongoing grief for the lives lost so far, and the search for justice that is happening in Iran now, that we have avoided the worst, and that there is an end to any violence. One of the great gifts of developing Disclaimer has been the opportunity to work with other Iranian and Iranian-American artists, and to invite them into our Piehole collaboration. One of these artists, Layla Khoshnoudi, a talented (and hilarious!) actor, writer, and all around artist, has written a reflection on Iran-US relations in light of the recent events. I'm so grateful to Layla for her insightful feedback as a collaborating artist on Disclaimer, and for allowing me to share this with you all:
Hello, my name is Layla Khoshnoudi. You can call me Layla Khoshnoudi, or Layla Khosh, or Layla K or Layla.
I ask people to realize, that Iran and USA are so, so, the same. The USA’s world-domination fantasies have developed more floridly over the past century, but it all comes out in the wash I believe. I ask people to level up in consciousness, and dare to believe in the possibility of peace. Iran and America are two great countries, which can and must work together to empower peace in the world.
What I love about the show Disclaimer is the humble expression of what, to me, is the most profound truth underlying all of this egoic conflict. We are all the same, and we all die.
Me, I am not an academic. I am not an authority on this matter, except that I was gifted with some intrinsic scope, being born American, from Iranians.
I am unmistakably, grateful for my existence here. I love my life, and I am grateful. I do at times resent, however, the negligence of what I’ll refer to as Passive America, to appreciate the culture from ‘my land’ and from ‘others’ land’; the failure to understand its own legacy in oppression (on an individual and societal level); and the failure to reflect on their own humanity enough to fathom the nuance of this conflict. There is a profound reflection to be found between Iran and The USA.Each person must start with him or herself, in the pursuit of peace.
And also, please know that Iran is a unique country in the middle east. It is not Arabic. There are multiple ethnicities in the Middle East, and Iranian (or Persian) is one of them. We are very quirky and kind of insane (consider the fact that we have two names). And though prone to extreme stances, Iran is a powerful, courageous, and rich culture, with its own prerogative for evolution, and bigger fish to fry than defending itself from western Imperialism which has a long tradition of taking resources without properly paying for them— A dynamic which has provoked a lot of chaos and bitterness. Okay.
Anyway, I care about few things as much as my family’s country of origin. So thank you for taking the time to read and reflect. Change can happen, like that.
Hello, my name is Layla Khoshnoudi. You can call me Layla Khoshnoudi, or Layla Khosh, or Layla K or Layla.
I ask people to realize, that Iran and USA are so, so, the same. The USA’s world-domination fantasies have developed more floridly over the past century, but it all comes out in the wash I believe. I ask people to level up in consciousness, and dare to believe in the possibility of peace. Iran and America are two great countries, which can and must work together to empower peace in the world.
What I love about the show Disclaimer is the humble expression of what, to me, is the most profound truth underlying all of this egoic conflict. We are all the same, and we all die.
Me, I am not an academic. I am not an authority on this matter, except that I was gifted with some intrinsic scope, being born American, from Iranians.
I am unmistakably, grateful for my existence here. I love my life, and I am grateful. I do at times resent, however, the negligence of what I’ll refer to as Passive America, to appreciate the culture from ‘my land’ and from ‘others’ land’; the failure to understand its own legacy in oppression (on an individual and societal level); and the failure to reflect on their own humanity enough to fathom the nuance of this conflict. There is a profound reflection to be found between Iran and The USA.Each person must start with him or herself, in the pursuit of peace.
And also, please know that Iran is a unique country in the middle east. It is not Arabic. There are multiple ethnicities in the Middle East, and Iranian (or Persian) is one of them. We are very quirky and kind of insane (consider the fact that we have two names). And though prone to extreme stances, Iran is a powerful, courageous, and rich culture, with its own prerogative for evolution, and bigger fish to fry than defending itself from western Imperialism which has a long tradition of taking resources without properly paying for them— A dynamic which has provoked a lot of chaos and bitterness. Okay.
Anyway, I care about few things as much as my family’s country of origin. So thank you for taking the time to read and reflect. Change can happen, like that.
RSS Feed