NASIM AHMADI

Kermanshah- In the mountain region of Kermanshah, Rojhelat Kurdistan (Eastern Kurdistan) women play the tanbur (Tambur) and sing songs about freedom despite the bans and restrictions imposed on them by the patriarchal mindset. For them, tanbur is not only a musical instrument but also a symbol of resistance. Why has the tanbur become a symbol of freedom for many women in Kermanshah?

In Iran, women's roles in society are always limited to housekeeping by the patriarchal mindset in order to confine them to their homes. Sometimes the patriarchal mindset allows women to do other activities, such as sewing, hairdressing, etc. because women working as tailors and hairdressers stay at closed places. However, women rose up against this mindset and started playing the tanbur, as an instrument symbolizing their resistance against the system.

After a magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit Kermanshah province in 2017, a group of male and female tanbur players went to the village of Sahar Moghan Panah and played the tanbur. “It was the first time I had seen a woman playing a musical instrument,” said Sahar Moghan Panah. “During their performance, I cried from happiness. After the performance, I became friends with that woman. I bought a tanbur although my family did not want me to buy it. I learned how to play the tanbur from that woman.”

Sahar Moghan Panah faced many challenges; many people criticized her for playing the tanbur. “But then, other girls and women in the village gathered around me and became interested in playing the tanbur. I have been able to teach dozens of girls and women in the village how to play the tanbur. The tanbur made girls in the village come together. I can say that the tanbur is the only thing that the girls and women in the village truly have and no one can take it from us.”

A form of resistance

The women and girls in the village formed a musical group. Playing the tanbur is seen as a form of resistance against the patriarchal mindset by women and girls in the village.

 “Seeing a girl playing the tanbur in a village is a kind of taboo-breaking action for the people of the village,” said Jamilah Moshirzadeh, an activist in Tehran. “Playing the tanbur actually paves the way for changes affecting women and children. I want to say that social activities can be effective in changing many things in society.”

A revolution

“Many women over the age of 40 want to learn how to play the tanbur because they have never been involved in an activity,” said Eleh Moshiri, a tanbur instructor in Kermanshah. “The tanbur is a sacred instrument in Kermanshah and many other regions. I have taught many women how to play the tanbur. In our society, women at the age of 50 have to fulfill their duties as a mother and wife. Playing the tanbur at this age is a revolution.”

Despite the ongoing restrictions imposed on women by the patriarchal system, women eventually find a way to stand up and challenge the system. Many women in Kermanshah play the tanbur as a resistance against the patriarchal mindset.