I and a group of activists want to start Bread and Roses – a weekly taboo-breaking, freethinking political-social TV magazine in Persian and English broadcast in Iran and the Middle East as well as globally via satellite TV and social media.

The programme will address crucial issues such as Sharia courts, sex segregation, Islamism, religion and Islam, the right to atheism and apostasy, nudity as a form of resistance, freedom of expression, secularism, child marriages as well as social and cultural issues namely how to deal with bullying, the status of women in society, the role of artists and underground musicians and whether one can live moral lives without religion.

Today, via Indiegogo, we are kick-starting a 3 week fundraising campaign to raise money for the initial equipment we need including cameras, a computer, lighting, paint, a rug, lamps, tables and chairs. Here’s our appeal in English:

Please support us if you can.

With your donations you will get a shout-out and thank you on our programme, will be able to decide issues for discussion, receive signed posters or a beautifully designed T-shirt, and even meet the hosts for a lunch on us! Most importantly you will get the satisfaction of knowing that you have helped bring crucial discussions to audiences in Iran, the Middle East and globally.

As you all know, we have been active for many years on issues deemed taboo or controversial. We have consistently defended universal values, equality and civil rights despite the insistence on a racism of lower expectations and standards and a cultural relativism that insists that the “other” has less rights and freedoms depending on the “community” they are deemed to belong to. Things are changing, however, and we hope that Bread and Roses can help further articulate, strengthen and encourage universal values.

Please don’t worry if you can’t support us financially. We know how difficult times are for many people but even if you can’t donate, help get the word out and bring attention to our programme. You can use the Indiegogo share tools!

Please also like or follow our programme:
www.facebook.com/NanoGoleSorkh
@NanoGoleSorkh
Nanogolesorkh
+44 20 3287 6128

Thanks for any and all your support.

By the way, here are some photos of our first get together to discuss our programme: