Roqe

A remembrance of iconic Iranian novelist, poet, and activist, Dr. Reza Baraheni, with his son, Director Arsalan Baraheni, joining Jian from Toronto to speak about his late father’s life and legacy. Plus a feature interview with multidisciplinary artist and futurist Ash Koosha in London (UK) on his mission to build virtual musicians. And the Roqe on-air team discuss “wall newspapers”, World Cup bir...

The debut of a new piece based on the Roqe theme. Dance is banned in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This song is dedicated to the dancers and artists inside Iran. - Nowruz 2022 Vocals and Piano: Rana Mansour Lyrics by Shaya Shoja Music by Jian Ghomeshi Click here to watch the beautiful video for this song, shot by dancers inside Iran: https://roqemedia.com/

“The Shah and the Quiet Revolution” - Part 23 of the Roqe Media series, The Contemporary History of Iran. What exactly are the roots of the anti-modernist movement in Iran? How might we assess the seeds of the Islamic Revolution of 1979 far before the late-1970s? And in what way were the Pahlavis unwittingly complicit in the revolution that dethroned them? Iranian-American sociologist, political s...

A feature interview with Iranian-British boxer, Alireza “Razor Ali” Ghadiri. Ali joins Jian from London, England, to share his harrowing story of a youth full of tragedy and difficulty in Iran, his asylum in the UK as a teen in 2016, and his remarkable rise to becoming a big buzz young fighter in Britain with a bout coming up at Wembley Arena. Plus the Roqe Team discusses Nowruz rituals and Reza a...

“The Growth of Cinema in Pre-Revolutionary Iran” - Part 22 of the Roqe Media series, The Contemporary History of Iran. Iranian film has been celebrated internationally for its artistic significance and cultural importance in recent decades. But what do we find if we look at the genesis and growth of modern cinema in Iran back to the mid-20th Century? And more specifically, how can we assess the in...

Roqe 170 - A feature interview with Iranian-Australian singer, songwriter, dancer, and creative force, Layla Kardan. Layla joins Jian from Dubai, UAE, where she has recently established a groundbreaking new dinner-theatre cabaret named, Papillon, with a mission to break regional stereotypes and push the boundaries of what has been the norm in the Middle East. Layla serves as the creator, producer...

“Literary Roots of the Revolution” - Part 21 of the Roqe Media series, The Contemporary History of Iran. What role did Iranian writers and intellectuals play in bringing on a revolution in Iran in 1979? How important was Persian literature in creating political sea change? And what were the lessons for those who fought political repression and censorship in the Pahlavi era and supported the overth...

A feature interview with Persian Drag Show founder and producer, Javid Jabari, in the Roqe Studio. Javid joins Jian to discuss his difficult years as a young gay man living in Iran, the plight of the LGBTQ community there, and his move to Canada and mission to spread awareness and fight homophobia in the Iranian community. Plus the Roqe Team convenes to reflect on the devastating military attack o...

“Foreign Policy Under the Ayatollahs” - Part 20 of the Roqe Media series, The Contemporary History of Iran. How are we to make sense of the way Iran has dealt with the world in the last 43 years? What has been the foreign policy approach between a stated mission of “non-alignment,” saber-rattling and uneven relations with the West, and an increasing turn towards the East? German-Iranian political...

Roqe 168 -A jam-packed new episode of Roqe featuring an interview with tech genius Siavash Alamouti, the winner of the prestigious 2022 Marconi Prize for communications, joining Jian from Oakland, and the musical super-siblings behind the band, Rhythm and Vibes, Sara and Nima Ahmadieh live in the Roqe Studio for a chat and performance. Plus the Roqe On-Air Team makes an announcement about a major...

“The Evolution of Persian Music” - Part 19 of the Roqe Media series, The Contemporary History of Iran. What was Persian music before the 20th Century? How do we assess the development of sound and musical traditions in Iran during the Safavid and Qajar eras - important influences that may be heard all the way to today? American musician and ethnomusicologist, Dr. Margaret Caton, author of the new...

Roqe 167 -A special new edition of Roqe on Valentine’s Day exploring the passions, proclivities, and problems of love and relationships in the Persian diaspora. Jian is joined in the Roqe Studio by psychotherapist, certified counsellor, and public speaker, Yasamin Karimi, as well as psychologist and life coach, Neda Bayat, to give their perspectives on the current challenges facing Persian immigra...

“From Arranged Marriage to White Marriage” - Part 18 of the Roqe Media series, The Contemporary History of Iran. Despite the abrogation of women’s rights and progressive family laws after the 1979 revolution, a fascinating new trend has emerged in modern Iran: Cohabitation of unmarried heterosexual partners where living spaces, rent, and groceries are shared - in defiance of laws that prevent such...

Roqe 166 -A feature interview with Swedish-Iranian pop star Cameron Cartio - a singer, songwriter and executive chef. Cameron joins Jian from LA for a very candid conversation discussing his meteoric rise and hit songs in the early 2000s, his choice to step away from music after disagreements with his label, his move to America and foray into the culinary world, and his recent return to music and...

“The Triumph of the Green Wave” - Part 17 of the Roqe Media series, The Contemporary History of Iran. In June of 2009, Iran witnessed a massive mobilization of protestors in its cities that became the largest demonstration of people power in the country since the revolution of 1979, triggered by fraudulent results in that year’s presidential election. The demonstrations reverberated around the wor...

A brand new edition of Roqe with the whole on-air team back in studio and including a featuring interview with Iranian-Canadian writer and actress, Banafsheh Taherian, and her podcast project adapting Nizami’s “Khosrow and Shirin;” football analyst Mehrdad Ahmadpour on the moral questions around supporting Team Melli and the chances of the Iranian and Canadian teams at the 2022 World Cup; Jian’s r...

“The Constitutional Revolution of 1906” - Part 16 of the Roqe Media series, The Contemporary History of Iran. In the early 20th Century, in the midst of widespread discontent with the corruption and inefficacy of the Qajar Dynasty, a powerful movement formed and mobilized in Iran, aimed at changing the structure of the monarchy from despotic to constitutional, and to adopt representative governanc...

Roqe 164 - A special themed episode of Roqe featuring wide-ranging interviews with two notable NASA figures of Iranian descent, who have done outstanding work in the arena of space, technology and innovation. First, Jian is joined by award-winning engineer and NASA star, Dr. Firouz Naderi, in Los Angeles, and then the successful NASA project manager who is leading the development of a new lunar cr...

“The 1999 Student Uprising” - Part 15 of the Roqe Media series, The Contemporary History of Iran. In July of 1999, after the state censure and closing of a reformist-oriented newspaper, Iranian students, beginning at the University of Tehran, rose up against the regime with a unity, ideological solidarity and size that had not been seen in any kind of protest since the 1979 revolution. The student...

Roqe 163 - A special themed episode of Roqe featuring wide-ranging interviews with two very successful tech and entrepreneurial stars of Iranian descent. Jian is joined by award-winning engineer, innovator, and founder of Babylon Health, Dr. Ali Parsa, in London, UK, and then tech entrepreneur, investor, and CEO of Code.org, Hadi Partovi, in Seattle, USA.

“America & Iran Before 1979” - Part 14 of the Roqe Media series, The Contemporary History of Iran. Today, we know America and Iran to be publicly declared enemies that engage in verbal saber-rattling, threats, sanctions, and a tenuous on-and-off again nuclear deal. But what about the years before the rise of the Islamic Republic? If we look at the totality of the relationship between the United St...

Roqe 162 - A special themed episode of Roqe featuring interviews with two remarkable tennis stars of Iranian descent. Jian is joined by legendary tennis maverick and international favourite, Mansour Bahrami, in Paris, and the young sensation who rose from modest means to the top rankings in women’s tennis, Aravane Rezai, in Sainte-Etienne, France.

The Republic of Mahabad” - Part 13 of the Roqe Media series, The Contemporary History of Iran. What spawned a movement of Iranian Kurds searching for nationhood and unity dating back to the Constitutional Revolution of 1905? And how did Kurdish nationalism in Iran grow to reach its zenith with an independent - albeit, short-lived - independent Republic to realize the elusive dream of autonomy and...

The second part of a new mini-series on Roqe, The Plight of Persian Music, about the dysfunctional nature of the Iranian music business. Well-known Persian music journalist, critic and author, Amir Bahari, joins Jian from Istanbul to discuss the nature and evolution of music in Iran before the revolution, the dominance of the “6/8” style, the devastating effects of the Islamic Republic censorship...

“The Fall of Reza Shah” - Part 12 of the Roqe Media series, The Contemporary History of Iran. How did Reza Shah Pahlavi, the dynamic leader known as the “father of modern Iran,” who ascended to become the popular king of Iran in 1925, experience a dramatic, expeditious and ignominious fall from the throne in 1941? And how did he spend his final years in exile? Acclaimed historian Dr. Shaul Bakhash...