On the 16th, when they learned of the suspicious death of the young Iranian Kurdish Mahsa Amini, after her arrest by the police, two Iranian sisters published a video on Instagram with a version of “Bella Ciao” sung in Persian. The recording went viral. Since then, this centenary anti-fascist anthem has been sung in the demonstrations that have shaken Iran for eleven days.
The Iranian version of “Bella Ciao” was first posted by two sisters, Samin and Behin Bolouri, an Iranian pop music duo, but quickly spread across social media. Other interpretations have appeared and have been sung in the demonstrations, which have already caused dozens of deaths.
Published last Saturday (24) on Youtube, a second video (below), viewed millions of times, shows an anonymous young woman singing the famous song in Iranian. Accompanied by a hashtag Mahsa Amini, her interpretation makes clear her commitment to the cause of women in her country. The female voice says, in free translation: “O people, unite. We who are standing until tomorrow, our right is not weak”.
Protesters risk arrest and death
The resistance song, which went viral in Persian, is aimed at all those who rebel against the oppression of the ultra-conservative Iranian government, despite the risks, and demonstrate in the streets since the suspicious death of Mahsa Amini. She was arrested by the morality police, who considered that her Islamic headscarf was misplaced over her head.
The arrest took place on September 13, when she was walking along the street with her brother. They were in Tehran to visit family members. Three days later, she passed away. According to relatives, Mahsa Amini died as a result of beatings she suffered while in detention.
During the demonstrations, many Iranian women removed their headscarves as a form of protest. They took to the streets in Tehran and other cities across the country, including Mashhad (northeast), Tabriz (northwest), Rasht (north), Isfahan (center) and Shiraz (south).
From an unknown origin to a symbol of resistance
According to radio France Musique, although the authorship of “Bella Ciao” is unknown, the lyrics would be inspired by an old Italian chant composed in the late 19th century, to express the harsh living conditions of peasants who worked in rice cultivation in the north. from Italy. “Bella Ciao” was also sung in the 1940s by Italians who opposed the fascist forces of dictator Bento Mussolini, who ruled the country from 1922 to 1943.
After the Second World War, this song was chosen by the socialist press as a symbol of the fight against all fascisms, especially in 1947, when young Italian socialists sang it in Prague during the World Festival of Democratic Youth. This song then acquires worldwide popularity and becomes a symbol of freedom and fights against all oppressions.
In Brazil, music was used by the “Ele não” movement in 2018, with lyrics in Portuguese adapted to express women’s revulsion against (then candidate for) President Jair Bolsonaro.
Used lightly and ironically in the series “La Casa de Papel”, “Bella Ciao” now embodies a new rage — or era. The irony of history is that this anthem of freedom and resistance to fascism went viral in Iran on the same weekend that Italy gives a parliamentary majority to a so-called “post-fascist” party, whose main face, Giorgia Meloni, has never hidden. his admiration for the dictator Benito Mussolini.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
