Sadegh Bana Motajaded | |
---|---|
Born | 1953 (69–70) |
Nationality | iranian |
Other names | Sadegh Booghi Uncle Sadegh |
Occupation(s) | Leader of Damash and Sepidrood clubs fans (formerly) fishmonger (After retirement) |
Known for | Dancing and singing in Rasht Bazaar |
Title | Booghi |
Family | Abbas Bana Motajaded (Brother) |
Sadegh Bana Motajaded, known as Sadegh Booghi (Persian: صادق بوقی; born 1952 or 1953),[1] is an Gilaks people, Iranian Leader of fans of Damash and Sepidrood sports clubs and shopkeeper; Fishmonger from Rasht, Gilan province. He gained the name Sadegh Booghi, or "Uncle Sadegh",[2] due to his works as a leader and publicist for football teams in northern Iran.[3][4] He gained attention in December 2023 when a video of him dancing to a Gilki folk song was posted on Instagram. He was subsequently arrested and his Instagram taken down;[5] a number of social media users showed their support by posting videos of group dances.[6]
Sociologist Shahla Shafiq called the viral dancing video part of an opposition to death worship Iranian regime.[7]
Background
Motajaded works as a fishmonger in Rasht.[8]
He began uploading videos to Instagram a few months prior to his arrest, and had around 128,000 followers by December 2023.[2][6][8] The videos, mainly filmed in Rasht's bazaar, showed Motajded dancing to folk music.[2]
Arrest and reactions
Motajaded was arrested in December 2023 for his dancing videos, which, according to police, "violated public morals".[8] However, other authorities have denied that Motajaded was arrested.[6] Social media users were quick to criticize the arrest of the "happy old man", and pointed to the hypocrisy of authorities in not arresting more prominent individuals who more blatantly break the country's laws.[8]
Some reports, denied by Iranian authorities, said that several shops near where the videos had been filmed had been shut down.[6] Motajaded's Instagram was blocked by authorities after his arrest, as were several other accounts which had shared his videos.[2][8] Some account owners or moderators were also arrested.[2]
In response to Motajaded's arrest, many Iranian social media users began posting their own dancing videos. Some of the videos included women dancing without hijabs, in defiance of Iran's obligatory veiling.[6]
References
- ↑ Shakkour, Sally (12 December 2023). "Shopkeeper's dance goes viral in Iran after his arrest". Al Bawaba. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Iranians Dance in Solidarity With "Uncle Sadegh"". IranWire. 11 December 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
- ↑ "صادق بوقی؛ از لیدری فوتبال تا لیدری رقص و شادمانی اجتماعی". BBC News فارسی (in Persian). 2023-12-13. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
- ↑ ایران, عصر. "صادق بوقی کیست؟ متن شعر آهنگش چیست؟ (+آهنگ)". fa (in Persian). Retrieved 2023-12-15.
- ↑ https://archive.today/https://www.ft.com/content/39b47e62-001d-48c5-8c17-e6568d9160af
- 1 2 3 4 5 Presse, AFP-Agence France. "Iranian Shopkeeper Sparks Dance Craze, Controversy". www.barrons.com. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
- ↑ "صادق بوقی؛ از لیدری فوتبال تا لیدری رقص و شادمانی اجتماعی - BBC News فارسی". bbc.com. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Iranians Dance In Streets As Civil Disobedience To Clerical Rule". Iran International. 2023-12-15. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
External links