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Saviz Shafaie (August 1950 - September 2000)
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Name: Ziyafat-e Zendegi; Poem Book Poet: Saviz Shafaei Editorial: Masoud Noghrekar Language: Persian/Farsi (Do not know Farsi? Do not Worry, Click HERE) Cover Design: Alireza Javadi's art First Print: February 2008 Publisher: Aida, Germany
Who is Saviz?
Although he was only three years old when the CIA coup d’état overthrew the government of Mossadeq and brought the Shah’s dictatorial regime to full power, he was raised in a milieu of politics and literature. Politics were inescapable at that time. Family members, and friends of the family alike were involved in the left and nationalist movements of the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, like so many others at the time. Many were also writers, musicians and poets. Saviz grew up learning poetry and literature not just through books, but as poems heard from numerous “uncles” and “aunts”, as it was customary to call close family friends. Saviz grew up knowing many of these writers and poets as close family friends and contemporaries of his parents, long before getting to know them as artists. He learned their work with the senses of a child, before knowing their art as poets, writers and musicians. This mix of politics, social activism and art shaped not only his universe but his life throughout. After finishing elementary and secondary school in Tehran, he enrolled in Shiraz University (formerly Pahlavi) to study National Development and Sociology. In 1972 he delivered a speech to present the results of a questionnaire and research he had done to study attitudes towards sexual orientation in Iran. The first open discussion of this material, the speech to everyone’s surprise, attracted several hundred of his peers. The speech was socially important as it marked the first serious discussion in Iran of same sex relationships, but it was also formative for Saviz. It was the first time he was able to connect his personal feelings to a larger social context. It was the first act towards his eventual “coming out” as gay several years later. After graduating from Shiraz University, he moved to the United States in 1976 to continue his education. He enrolled in Syracuse University in the Masters Program in Sociology. In Syracuse he naturally got involved in Iranian student groups (which were mostly groups in opposition to the U.S. backed Shah) as well as exploring gay and lesbian issues to expand his own understanding. The gathering movement against the Shah in 1977 which led to the Iranian revolution in 1979, naturally politicized the Iranian students and community at the time. Saviz, who always gravitated towards political and social issues, was involved in the anti-Shah movement here in the U.S. Although he was opposed to Iran’s U.S. backed monarchy, he was not in favor of an Islamic regime. He was involved in organizing for civil, intellectual and political rights both before and after the 1979 revolution, and spoke out against oppression and repression which took hold after the consolidation of power by the Islamic regime. But Saviz always remained a staunch opponent of U.S. intervention and policies. This opened other paths for Saviz as he came in contact with activists around the issues of Latin American- activists in solidarity with the Nicaraguan revolution, the movement in El Salvador and those fighting against the U.S. backed military junta in Chile (See his poem “Contaminated Landscapes,” dedicated to Ed Griffin whom he credits with teaching him about Latin America). He became an active member of the Syracuse Peace Council and remained so until his move to Orlando, Florida in 1983. In Orlando, Saviz quickly found his place among the different movements. He became a founding member of the Florida Nuclear Freeze group and a member of the Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice. He became instrumental in organizing anti-war activities and a proponent of social justice causes in the city. He was involved in organizing against the (first) U.S. war against Iraq in 1990 and remained an opponent of the U.S. aggressive and interventionist policies in the Mideast and elsewhere. But he spent the majority of his energy in his years in Orlando fighting homophobia and sexism, and promoting civil and equal rights for gays and lesbians. He was involved in gay and lesbian activism locally, but also became centrally involved in the Iranian organization Homan, an international coalition of Iranian gay and lesbian organizations. He was both a contributor and one of the forces behind the production and publication of the group’s magazine. He also raised the issue of homophobia in papers presented at an Iranian Women’s Studies conference and at several gatherings in Canada. Saviz had to face hostility to his activities from three sources- He faced homophobia as an openly gay man. He faced racism as an Iranian. And finally, Saviz always insisted that he was not just gay, but was a Gay activist. And moreover, he was not just a gay activist but an activist for peace and justice. So as an outspoken proponent of civil rights, and opponent of oppression, war and intervention; he was subjected to ridicule and even threats by those who opposed his political activism. He remained both gentle and outspoken until his last days. And given his opposition to injustice in the U.S. and intervention by the U.S. internationally, he would not have acquiesced to the U.S. attempts today to assimilate the legitimate right of Iranians-whether gay or straight, men or women-as a justification for intervention and regime change. This collection is a sampling of his poetry from mid 1970’s until August 2000. - Sepehr Sam Purchase a Copy and Support a Refugee We received some copy of Saviz's book from his mother to support Iranian queer asylum seekers. Donation Fee for this book is $30.00 your donations will help asylum seekers who need support for their daily expenses. for more information regarding our Financial Aid Support you can visit here you can purchase this book online by using our secure Paypal system. when you paid $30 Donation Fee for Saviz's book, you should send us an email to donation(at)irqr(dot)net and provide us your mailing address. you will receive a copy of book for your collection or giving this book to your Persian friends as a gift. Purchase a Copy NOW Do Not Know Persian? If you do not know Persian/Farsi you should not be upset. you can still support Iranian queer asylum seekers by purchasing a copy of this book for one of your Iranian friends. We are sure you have some Persian friends. Do not you have? come on! find them here
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Saviz
was born on August 30, 1950- at the height of the nationalist movement in
Iran, the time of Mohammad Mossadeq and the nationalization of Iran’s oil-
the time of national hope. He was born into a political family.