TEHRAN, May 16--Deputy director of the Foundation for Preserving and Promoting Sacred Defense Achievements for artistic affairs here Sunday in a statement announced that the 10th Sacred Defense Film Festival, which was scheduled to be held on May 24 in Tehran and Khorramshahr, will not take place this year, reported IRNA.
Seyyed Mohammad Alavi told reporters that the foundation did its utmost to hold the festival as in past years given the need to support outstanding works from the Sacred Defense Era--the 8-year Iraqi-imposed war of 1980-1988--and to encourage dedicated artists.
Alavi, who is also the secretary of the festival, said that it is natural that organizing such an artistic event at an extensive level calls for all-out support from artistic and cultural institutes, particularly the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
He further said that initially it was expected the ministry would not only take note of the consistency between the undertaking and its mission but also invite other related institutes to help hold this cultural event.
“Despite repeated requests by the foundation and concerted efforts by personnel of the Artistic Department, we failed to win the support of major departments, notably that of the ministry,“ he lamented.
Alavi further stated that this is while the ministry has organized in the past year tens of festivals including Iran Zamin Theater Festival, which indicates its capabilities and financial status.
The foundation has always received deceitful proposals from those wielding power, but since it was never willing to contaminate the country’s art with the current trend of affairs, it rejected all of them, the statement concluded.

TEHRAN, May 16--Deputy Minister of Culture and the Islamic Guidance Mohammad Ali Shoaei said on Sunday that Kerman will be transformed into the capital of children’s literature, Fars news agency reported.
He said that holding a festival of books for children and young adults in Kerman was the outcome of long-term planning. “By organizing the event in Kerman, we wanted to draw the attention of children and young adults to the status of books in family life and in filling the leisure hours. We also paid attention to the financial significance of the festival for publishers, so we viewed the event in a comprehensive manner,“ Shoaei said.
He called for the establishment of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to study the problems of cultural sector and propose mechanisms to overcome them.
Majid Jaafari Aqdam, secretary of the festival, said that some 5,000 volumes of books have been donated by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance to establish a library for children and young adults in Kerman while other cultural institutes have also pledged assistance to equip the library.
Mostafa Rahmandoust, who is in charge of special programs of the festival, said that the event had weak points due to Kerman’s great distance from Tehran. He hoped that shortcomings will be removed in subsequent festivals which may be held in the city.
He complained about the delay in the performance of special programs and hoped that through coordination, the lapses will be removed in future festivals.

Negligence towards tribes has created irreparable ecological damages.

TEHRAN, May 16--Head of French National Research Center said the French government’s mistake in changing the lifestyle of indigenous tribesmen should not be repeated in Iran.
Speaking during a visit to tribal regions of Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari province, Professor Jean Pierre Digarre told IRNA that with the modernization of animal husbandry after World War II, the nomadic lifestyle of French tribal groups gradually disappeared creating a lot of problems for France.
“The disappearance of tribal lifestyle and modern methods of animal husbandry in the world have led to a decline in ecotourism, deterioration in the quality of meat and an increase in its price,“ he added.
The French anthropologist noted that negligence towards tribes has created irreparable ecological damages.
“Taking the problems of tribal groups into consideration helps protect the mountain environment. The French government is promoting culture of nomadic tribes in mountainous regions of the Alps in order to revive ecotourism,“ he added.
Digarre acknowledged that Iranian tribes have indeed managed to adapt themselves to modern lifestyle by preserving their culture and traditions.
“Unfortunately Iran’s pastures have become less fertile which rings a note of alarm for Iran’s small tribes,“ he cautioned.
He further noted that if pastures and rangelands in Iran are protected it will pave the way for improving the quality of meat and promote culture of nomads.
Meanwhile, director general of tribal affairs in Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari province said that a total of 122,000 tribesmen are currently working the province’s cattle breeding section.
Bijan Parvizi told IRNA these tribes are responsible for 1.5 million head of cattle and produce 30 percent of the province’s meat and protein products.
He noted that the province’s tribesmen spend the summer in Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari and their winter in Khuzestan province.
Jean Pierre Digarre visited tribal areas of Kouhrang and Lordegan in Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari province.
He has already published 10 books and is currently working on an encyclopedia of tribal people in the world.

TEHRAN, May 16--Damavand Symphony, a masterpiece by well-known Iranian composer Shahin Farhat, will be released next week.
According to ISNA, Farhat conducted the symphony which was performed by the Armenian radio and television orchestra and a recording of this will be available next week.
The composer described the symphony as the best of several he had performed so far.
He said that the symphony has three beautiful pieces conveying the secrets of the high mountain standing proudly in the northeast of Tehran.
He said that Mount Damavand is a symbol of national pride and source of inspiration for Iranians.
Meanwhile, the Music Center of the Arts Division of the Islamic Propagation Organization will also release Siamak Shajarian’s album ’Fondler of Heart’ whose music was composed by Mohammad Javad Zarabian.
The album ’Road Mirror’ by vocalist Hessameddin Seraj will be released soon.
In addition to the albums, some 15 titles of books about music and three titles of other books have been presented in the recently-concluded Tehran International Book Fair.

TEHRAN, May 16--Director of Isfahan’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department said that there are more than 8,000 artifacts in museums throughout the province which have been recorded as cultural heritage pieces.
Saghar Hamidi told IRNA that there are also many artifacts which are still to be registered.
“Isfahan’s Cultural Heritage Department has decided to set up a special office to deal with and register artifacts which were confiscated from unauthorized diggers,“ she said.
“For the time being, the artifacts which are handed over to the Cultural Heritage Department are divided into three categories: those bought by the office, those obtained from excavations and those confiscated from unauthorized diggers,“ she said.
“Some of the artifacts have been bought from private museums or are being maintained in museums as trustee for private owners while others unearthed during authorized excavations, are being delivered by archeologists to the museums.“
She said that the artifacts are being kept at Chehelsotoon Museum, the Ornament Art Museum, Vank Church and Naeen Anthropology Museum.
Hamidi said that two more museums: Anarak and Sheibani will be inaugurated soon.
She added that Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization encourages the establishment of private museums.

Nasser Katouzian

TEHRAN, May 16--A ceremony will be organized by the Society of Luminaries to appreciate the social and cultural services of Dr. Nasser Katouzian on May 21, according to CHN.
Nasser Katouzian, a member of Tehran University’s faculty, is the first person to receive a doctorate degree from Tehran University’s Law School.
He has written several books including ’Mossadeq and Power Struggle’ and ’Government and Society under Qajar Rule’.

TEHRAN, May 16--Prominent artist Aidin Aghdashloo said that the galleries should form an association to coordinate their activities.
According to Persian daily, ’Toseh’, he said that the absence of a union has not been unhelpful in resolving the problems facing the galleries.
Speaking at the fifth annual exhibit of galleries and cultural heritage, he said that galleries are directly linked to arts in terms of management, but, despite the 40-year history, galleries in Iran could not establish themselves as a business, whereas, in Europe and the United States galleries are recognized as business entities.
Aghdashloo said that if the galleries are driven out of the arts business, visual arts will suffer a great blow.
“So, henceforth, we should form a union for galleries and draw up a procedure on the use government assistance to help art galleries recover. For example, the gallery owners should be exempted from tax and government subsidies should be divided fairly among them to promote arts.“
Aghdashloo said that coordination between galleries is essential to ensure satisfactory performance citing the current exhibit of five-day annual exhibit of galleries and cultural heritage in which 70 galleries have taken part across the country.
The annual exhibit which is underway concurrently in Tehran and 10 provinces will continue until June 5.