Some more than others
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| Ciao bella. |
Welcome to year 11 of this blog. Who would've guessed, certainly not Google. Or me. While I break my head what to do in 2024 for its first anniversary, let's have a little pre-party. In case you're wondering whether or not I'm actually going to break my head, it's something we say in Dutch when we think long and hard about solving a particular problem.
Proverbs and catchphrases are basically the same, don't you agree? Please say yes. Thanks. In the early 1990s Disney came up with a satirical TV show about a flawed superhero. Darkwing Duck's catchphrase was 'let's get dangerous', which sounds even better in Dutch. 'Laten we lekker link gaan doen.' It's perhaps the most awesome catchphrase in the history of humankind.
A while back I ran into this comment about how no sub is gonna retweet concepts, hoping mistress will take the bait. Why not? Inspiration is everything. Or as mistress says: rope. Just make sure it's long enough to hang yourself slave boy. How's that for caring and cruel? So let's get dangerous in 2023 and do just that. As for the danger part, you decide. Is it gonna be buyer's remorse or me pinning my hopes on Twitter surviving? We'll see. As for today's image, which concept? Obviously more on that later.
Face the music
January 01 is the birthday of Her Royal Highness Noor Inayat Khan. Born in 1914, she would have been 89 years old now. On 13 September 1944, age 30, the Spy Princess was executed in Dachau concentration camp, Nazi Germany.
Most people know Bella Ciao from the Netflix series La Casa de Papel or as an anthem in football stadiums. Originally a protest song, Bella Ciao was adopted by the Italian resistance movement during World War II in what basically was a civil war between Italian fascists and the partizans.
Dissent has been brewing in Iran for a long time. Last year, the death of Mahsa Amini, a 16-year old girl who was arrested by the religious morality police, sparked protests on a scale not seen in many years. The crackdown was swift. At least 20.000 people have been arrested for participating in demonstrations against the governments. The government has some success using terror, torture and rape - women and girls are at the forefront of the resistance - to quash the uprising.
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| Samin & Behin Bolouri - Ciao Bella [click to listen] |
That's why I can't think of a better song to honour Noor Inayat Khan and the women of Iran than Bella Ciao by Samin Bolouri and her sister Behin. In the first version that on Youtube the two sisters are wearing hijabs. Last September they recorded a second version with different lyrics, There are two versions of this song. In the first one the sisters are wearing hijabs. In the second clip they posted, they took their hijabs of and changed the lyrics. It has since become a full-flung protest song. As I write this, both women are probably in prison - or worse. Let's just hope they are safe.
Liberté.
1 comment :
Do look up Noor Inayat Khan. She was an extraordinary pacifist and secret agent whose heroism as a spy in the Second World War posthumously earned her a George Cross. If you are interested in books that feature her best look her up in Wikipedia. There was even a beguiling and beautifully staged play about her at the Southwark Playhouse in London and that is well worth seeing if it is ever replayed. If you like wartime stories of heroic female spies don’t miss Sara Burlington in Beyond Enkription in The Burlington Files series of novels based on the life and times of ex-spook Bill Fairclough (MI6 codename JJ) aka Edward Burlington. Sara was his mother and we’ll guarantee you will loathe her and love her by the time you get to the end of this loosely fact based espionage thriller.
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