Internal Worlds, External Relations

Europe House, Valletta

After an introduction by our head, Dr Mario Sammut, Lida Sherafatmand delved into the theories that underpin her vibrant paintings on display in the conference hall at Europe House. Having embarked on her artistic journey at the age of three, Lida’s experiences of war, revolution and persecution in Iran profoundly shaped her work and led to the development of a style focusing on positive states of consciousness to counteract the vicisittudes of the environment around her.

Dr Mario Sammut and Iranian artist Lida Sherafatmand at the "Internal Worlds, External Relations" event at Europe House

As a refugee, she grappled with statelessness, loss of wealth and poverty, all of which imbued her art with a deep sense of duty towards her surroundings. “While I am contesting war and tackling social topics, my approach to art is one of beauty. The ugliness of war is so often stressed that we forget beauty is also part of our fight.”

Iranian artist Lida Sherafatmand delivering her lecture at the "Internal Worlds, External Relations" event

Lida was joined virtually by Aida Ghajar, Senior Journalist at IranWire, who has played an imperative role in documenting human rights abuses in Iran. After Jina Mahsa Amini was arrested and killed by the morality police for showing her hair in 2022, sparking outrage in Iran and beyond, Aida was the first journalist to interview Amini’s brother.

“After Mahsa’s brother spoke to me, I carried the weight of the responsibility in my body. He broke his silence when he decided to talk to me,” Aida said during her talk. “After giving the interview, he told me: ‘Publish it, tell everyone the truth. I am going to say her name around Iran.’ Today, people all around the world have heard her name and know what is happening in Iran.”

Iranian journalist Aida Ghajar at the "Internal Worlds, External Relations" event

Jina Mahsa Amini was posthumously awarded the 2023 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, together with the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement. Aida, who continued to document the violence protestors experienced in Iran, is a recipient of the 2023 Freedom House Award and a Sakharov Fellow for 2024.

“The only path to justice is truth,” Aida said. “Art, like Lida’s, is the only universal language. It is the only thing for which you do not need to understand the language of the artist. You can feel it. You can find yourself in the art. Through art, we can tell the truth to the world. This is the power of art in bringing truth to the call for justice.”

“One day there will be women, life and freedom in Iran. Maybe not in my lifetime, but every Sakharov Prize, every fact-finding mission, and every art exhibition will bring us closer,” Aida concluded.

The audience asking questions at the "Internal Worlds, External Relations" event

 

SAKHAROV PRIZE FOR FREEDOM OF THOUGHT

The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, awarded annually by the European Parliament, honours individuals and organisations championing human rights and fundamental freedoms. Eminent laureates include Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai and Denis Mukwege, among others.

The 2023 Sakharov Prize was posthumously awarded to Jina Mahsa Amini and the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement in Iran. The laureates were represented by Saleh Nikbakht, an academic and lawyer representing Jina Mahsa Amini’s family, and Afsoon Najafi and Mersedeh Shahinkar, Iranian women's rights defenders who left Iran last year.