We were three years before the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, three years before the start of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement. Forough Alaei welcomed me to Tehran; the thirty-year-old then photographed female football fans who, to go to stadiums where they are prohibited, disguise themselves as men and mingle with supporters on match nights, risking their lives.
Hasti Rezaei17, is Iran's youngest motocross rider. She started riding at the age of nine, was the Iranian motocross champion in 2021-2022, and has been the national and regional motocross champion several times. Hasti goes to the track every weekend. “Some people think it’s a man’s sport and that it’s dangerous for women,” she says. “They ask me: 'Aren't you afraid? What if you were hurt?' » Injuries are only part of the risk.
once et Samin Bolouri are two musical sisters aged 30 and 22. They are prohibited from performing solo or as a duo but they have posted videos of their songs on social media, which have attracted hundreds of thousands of views. Their Persian version of Bella ciao, written at the start of the “Women, Life, Liberty” movement, made them famous. They are photographed at their home in Tehran in November 2022. (Credits: LTD/FOROUGH ALAEI)
She followed them for months, going so far as to cross-dress herself to accompany them and film them on a hidden camera. For these images, published in several newspapers in Europe and the United States, Forough was awarded a prestigious World Press prize. For these images, Forough was arrested by Revolutionary Guard agents, interrogated and detained for five days. We never lost contact.
“The Seeds of the Wild Fig Tree”, a shocking film from Iran
Aida in July 2023 on the “roof of Tehran”, a square overlooking the capital. Like many women since the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, she chooses to wear the veil on her shoulders and only cover her head when passers-by reproach her for it. To enter a supermarket or a cinema, most cover themselves long enough to pass by the guards who require it, then reveal themselves again. (Credits: LTD/FOROUGH ALAEI)
Some time before the videos of Ahoo Daryaei, a student walking around in her underwear to protest against the Islamic dress code – and who was arrested and locked up in a psychiatric hospital – began to circulate on November 2, the journalist sent us around twenty photos, work built up over several years, over the course of reporting.
Parva Karkhane36 years old, has been painting portraits of women for fifteen years. Coming from a conservative Kurdish family, she imposed her choice of being an artist rather than marrying and having children. Her representations of naked bodies caused a scandal and, during her exhibitions, she had to cover her paintings with a fabric. “I sometimes even cover them at home, for fear that my neighbors will see them. We live like this in Iran, we cover a lot of things. » Here in his studio in February 2022. (Credits: LTD/FOROUGH ALAEI)
Here are his words to talk about it: “If I had to learn one thing from the history of women's fight for equal rights, it is that oppression becomes a norm when there are no examples to follow, when taboos are not not lifted. I want to show through my photos that there are pioneers in Iran who are changing mentalities. »
Kiana Yarahmadi et Niloofar Farahmand have been friends for ten years. They are among the first professional mechanics in Iran. “We would never have imagined that women could do this job in our country,” explains Niloofar in February 2022. When we tried to train, we were told that it was not possible. From the moment we became famous on social networks, things changed. » (Credits: LTD/FOROUGH ALAEI)
This portfolio, entitled “If he can, I can”, highlights the heroines of a youth who tries everything. Portraits of athletes, mechanics, artists, who manage, despite the risks, to circumvent the rules excluding them from numerous professions and activities in a country where only 13% of women access the job market and 6% participate in political life.
Azam Sanaei34, is the captain of the first women's ice hockey team in Iran. The White Lionesses, born in 2020, achieved the feat of winning the Asia and Oceania championship four years later. Azam, here in March, was 14 when she started acting. Today, she encourages her compatriots: “With will and passion, we have the power to evolve. » (Credits: LTD/FOROUGH ALAEI)
These brave people tell, with their hair flying in the wind, a rebellious generation whose audacity is transforming society, ignoring the repression of the mullahs, arbitrary imprisonments, torture and executions. These Iranian women, “models, who open the way”, adds the photographer, expose themselves to encourage all those who can no longer stand living under the patriarchal yoke of dictatorship. In the lens of Forough Alaei, the obvious emerges: these women are the resistance fighters of today.
She practices in the mountains near Tehran. Elnaz Rekabiis an Iranian competitive climber. She competed at the 2021 IFSC Climbing World Championships, winning the bronze medal in the women's combined event. Rekabi also finished on the podium three times at the Asian Climbing Championships IFSC, with one silver and two bronze medals. (Credits: LTD/FOROUGH ALAEI)
Sahar Rashidi31, poses with her kickboxing gloves in Kermanchah province, western Iran, in May 2024. Born into a family of nomadic shepherds, a traditionalist minority that is particularly restrictive for women, it is in secret that she first learns kung fu. Since then, she has won dozens of kickboxing championships, becoming a role model for young tribal women. (Credits: LTD/FOROUGH ALAEI)
Photographs by Forough Alaei
Related News :