International Painting Competition Sorena to focus on Minab martyred children
International Painting Competition Sorena to focus on Minab martyred children
TEHRAN – The unveiling ceremony of the poster and the press conference for the International Painting Competition Sorena, with the theme “Iran through the eyes of Iranian children in and abroad, and children around the world,” was held on Sunday at the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) in Tehran.
The competition is being held in collaboration with the Abbas Abad Cultural and Tourism Area, the General Directorate for Cultural and Social Affairs of Iranians Abroad at the ICRO, the Art Bureau of the Islamic Dissemination Organization, and the Kian Iranian Smart Technologies Development Group (iGap messenger). The competition is centered on the children who were martyred at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab, ILNA reported.
At the conference, Seyyed Mohammad Hossein Hejazi, CEO of the Abbas Abad Cultural and Tourism Area; Hojjatoleslam Ali Ahadi, Director General of Cultural and Social Affairs for Iranians Abroad at the ICRO; Hossein Divsalar, Deputy for the Development of Scientific and Cultural Cooperation at the ICRO; Ali Janbaz, CEO of Soureh Omid at the Art Bureau; and Rabiei, Deputy of the iGap messenger, provided explanations regarding various dimensions of this event.
Hojjatoleslam Ahadi stated during the meeting that Iranians living abroad remain a part of Iranian society, and their connection to and presence in the country’s cultural affairs are of great importance.
He added that many of these compatriots live outside Iran’s borders for reasons such as education or employment, and various programs have been planned over the past few years to maintain and strengthen their connection with the country.
Ahadi continued that in recent weeks, the first e-sports league specifically for Iranians abroad has been designed and implemented, and he expressed hope that these initiatives would contribute to honoring Iranian culture and art.
Also speaking at the event, Mohammad Hossein Hejazi said that if the potential of Iranian art, the role of children in the country’s future, as well as the issue of peace and the unequal war against Iran are to be addressed, the children of Minab are a clear example to express this.
For his part, Ali Janbaz emphasized the necessity of registering this event in global memory, stating that this tragedy must be recorded as one of the significant crimes of the United States against humanity.
He added that if such events are not seriously documented and followed up on, the possibility of their repetition remains, and one of the effective factors in globalizing the crime against the children of Minab has been the efforts of Iranians living abroad.
Janbaz continued that one should not remain solely in the stage of mourning when facing this incident; it is necessary to move beyond this stage toward action and movement.
He said that painting, as one of the international languages, can play an important role in making this narrative enduring, and the innocent and oppressed narrative of the Minab children even has the capacity to be pursued in international judicial forums.
Deputy of the iGap messenger Rabiei referred to the capacity of this messenger to cover the Sorena competition, stating that with 30 million installs and seven million active users, iGap can convey the message of this event to a wide range of Iranians inside and outside the country.
Hossein Divsalar continued the meeting by pointing to the role of narrative in shaping historical memory, stating that history is not composed only of a collection of events and occurrences, and in many cases, the way an event is narrated can be more important than the event itself.
“If the narrative of an event is not paid attention to, over time, the positions of the oppressor and the oppressed, the victor and the defeated, may shift, and a different image of reality may be formed,” he added.
Divsalar added that in the Minab case, a significant number of young students were targeted, and this characteristic distinguishes this incident from many other historical examples.
“In incidents such as Hiroshima or the Vietnam War, a large number of women and children lost their lives, but in those cases, women and children were not the sole targets of the attack; whereas in Minab, the children present at the school were directly targeted by the crime,” he noted.
“Iran is not a warmongering country, but it defends itself and its homeland against threats, and possessing defense capabilities is essential for the country,” he asserted.
Emphasizing the importance of soft power, Divsalar said that in today’s conditions, possessing hard power and military capability is very important, but soft power is also considered an important and equal component in the country’s authority.
“Iran possesses a vast and unparalleled cultural heritage, and the important issue is that the capacity of cultural diplomacy, alongside military authority, can present an image of the powerful Iran of today to the world,” he underlined.
He also emphasized that the Sorena event is an important initiative that has taken its name from the martyred child of Minab and can be effective in reflecting part of the US crime against Iranian children at the international level.
The International Painting Competition Sorena has considered cultural and cash prizes for its winners, and the responsibility for judging the works will be with the Art Bureau for Children and Adolescents.
According to the organizers, the selected works will be exhibited in various countries after being judged, and an exhibition of the competition’s entries will also be held at Tabiat Bridge.
At the end of the ceremony, the poster for the event was unveiled.
On February 28, the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab, Hormozgan province, became the site of a devastating massacre as the United States and Israel initiated their strikes against Iran.
While dozens of girls and boys aged between 7 and 12 were beginning their lessons, the school was targeted by a missile strike that caused the building to collapse, trapping children and teachers beneath the rubble. Iranian authorities confirmed a final death toll of 168 people, with at least 95 others wounded, marking one of the most harrowing incidents of the conflict's opening day.
SS/SAB
source: tehrantimes.com