The First Half of This Year Was Held in the Provinces

Holding 55 Memory Nights and 5 Oral History Workshops

Maryam Asadi Jafari
Translated by Ruhollah Golmoradi

2018-10-23

Head of the office for memory night of provincial centers of Hozeh Honari announced holding 55 night memory nights and 5 oral history workshops in the first half of 1397 (SH) and said, "Fortunately, teenagers and youth who are our priority among audience received well the memory nights. Also, interviewers of works which are published in province's Hozeh Honari have grown up in oral history workshops and produced projects."

According to Iranian Oral History Website, Seyyed Mehdi Abtahi, presenting a report on executing programs of memory night and oral history workshops in Hozeh Honari of the provinces, said, "55 memory night sessions have been hold in provincial centers of Hozeh Honari during the first half of this year, with five programs focusing on Shrine Defenders, 2 programs on subject of Islamic Revolution, and the rest about eight years of Sacred Defense."

The head of the office for memory night of provincial center of Hozeh Honari stated about receiving the memory nights by people, "We have accurate data about the audience reception because these programs are fully monitored. Fortunately, we have seen a good reception on the part of teenagers and young people who are our top priority among the audience. That is, colleagues have found ways to communicate with the audience."

Explaining course of memory night programs in provinces Abtahi stated, "Since sending projects by the provinces, we talk about our priorities on audience, how to hold the program in terms of form and content, new ideas and marginal programs such as book launch. Also, all memory night sessions are discussed expertly. Whether we ourselves present in the programs or we received visual document of the memory night. Ultimately, all strengths and weaknesses of memory night are offered to provincial offices for using in future programs."

He added, "We have several goals for holding memory night, and for this reason, almost a lot of memory nights are broadcast in provincial channels and sometimes in national channels. This will increase our audience. On the other hand, they implement quoted memories to become book of "Memory Night". At the moment, book of memory night of East Azarbaijan is passing editing stages. Also, many subjects are identified in memory night programs."

Seyyed Mehdi Abtahi called memory night a combined program and said, "It is true that the Office for Resistance Studies and Culture of Provinces Affairs of Hozeh Honari and the Office of Memory Night are founders of this program, but we use from all units of Hozeh Honari including music, literary creations, visual arts, etc., and we can say that memory night is a showcase for activities and productions of the province's Hozeh Honari."

Then head of office the memory night of provincial centers of Hozeh Honari continued about number of held oral history workshops during the first half of this year (1397/2018), "We have been agent of 5 oral history workshops in Hozeh Honari of province centers. That is Teachers from Tehran have been deployed to cities. Of course, each province individually has held several oral history workshops."

Seyyed Mehdi Abtahi, referring to the fact that deployment of professors depends on level of class and audience in the provinces, said: "Fortunately, the province's Hozeh Honari has become activated by oral history in various fields, and they themselves hold workshops on principles of interview and oral history. Courses and workshops held by invited professors from Tehran have an educational aspect and we do not have lectures at all. Some pamphlets are being presented and teaching is based on these pamphlets."

At the end, he remarked," It cannot be said that all trained people in the workshops are employed to produce oral history works because during these workshops some people left them due to various reasons. But almost all provincial products have come out from the same workshops. That is, interviewers of works which are published in the province's Hozeh Honari have grown up in oral history workshops and have resulted in producing projects."