Roqe

A bonus edition of Roqe featuring the Monday Roundup with Jian joined by Pegah and Raha in the Roqe Studio. The trio discuss Halloween (with varying levels of enthusiasm), the fascinating passion for “Friends” and the late Mathew Perry amongst Iranians, the sad death and funeral of Armita Geravand in Tehran, and the appearance of Iranian Foreign Minister and propagandist Amir-Abdollahian on CNN…again.

A brand new edition of Roqe that kicks off with Jian’s opening audio essay entitled, We Need to Deprogram Hate, that is a lament for the current state of the world and how we have become prisoners of the algorithms in our social media feeds. Also on this episode, a feature interview with Afghan rapper and activist, Sonita Alizadeh, live in the Roqe Studio, who joins Jian to talk about the plight of undocumented Afghan refugees in Iran and the latest threat of deportation from the Islamic Republic regime. Plus, Pegah is back for the Roqe Roundup to discuss the IRI Foreign Minister’s visit to the UN today, the absurd sentencing of journalists Elaheh and Niloofar in Iran, and more. And finally, we pay tribute to the late Iranian-American guitar virtuoso Lily Afshar, and replay our interview with her on Roqe from September, 2020.

Our latest episode of Roqe (#291!) poses the question: Is the world more polarized than it has ever been? 💥 In the backdrop of a divided planet dealing with war, atrocities and cleavages that are amped up by online disputes, echo chambers and social media toxicity, Jian is joined by Iranian-American entrepreneur and author, Milan Kordestani, to discuss his new book, “I'm Just Saying: A Guide to Maintaining Civil Discourse in an Increasingly Divided World.” Plus the story of a young professional Iranian couple in Canada who have decided to leave urban life and become chicken farmers with their Kalian Hobby Farm - they join us in the Roqe Studio. 🐓 And Pegah joins Jian for the Roqe Roundup where they discuss this episode’s theme and question, and of course some reflection on current events in Iran. 🎸🙏🏽

A bonus Monday edition of Roqe featuring a 4-person Roundup panel. Jian and Pegah are joined by marketing specialist Raha Rou, and recording artist, Sepp Osley, in the Roqe Studio, to discuss a number of issues of the week including: The drumbeats of war in the Middle East and the role of the IRGC; the horrific murder of iconic Iranian filmmaker Dariush Mehrjui; the most recent meeting of the Iranian Foreign Minister and Hamas; and the Roqe team’s excursion to find authentic Kale Pache(!).

Note: The Monday editions of Roqe will be offered as a free bonus on all of our platforms for October and then, starting in November, will be for Roqe Members only - through our Patreon subscriber page. To become a Roqe Member and have access to all our content, visit our website and press the “Support Us” button the main page! MERCI!!

A new edition of Roqe featuring a lifetime interview with popular British-Iranian news anchor, producer, and presenter, Farshad Mottaghi, from Manoto TV, joining Jian from London. In his first ever long form interview in English, Farshad talks to Jian about his career, the emotional toll of covering heartbreaking news, his move to the UK and the incredible story behind it, and more. Plus, a Roqe Roundup with Pegah on current issues including the evolving - and devastating - war in the Middle East and the complicity and sponsorship of related recent atrocities by the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

A bonus Monday edition as Pegah joins Jian for a special Roqe Roundup to discuss the historic Nobel Peace Prize win for imprisoned Iranian human rights advocate Narges Mohammadi, and the role of the Islamic Republic regime in the devastating murderous attacks in Israel and Gaza in recent days.

A new edition of Roqe that kicks off with an audio essay from Jian addressing the dire situation of Iranian teenager Armita Geravand, followed by a Roundup with Pegah discussing the latest inside Iran including Armita and the funny/sad spectre of the controversial football game that didn’t happen with a Saudi team in Iran. Plus a feature interview live in the Roqe Studio with pilot, aviation expert, motivational speaker, and Iranian human rights advocate, Captain Christopher Behnam. Captain Behnam joins Jian for a very moving and wide-ranging interview about his early life and his upcoming book entitled, “A Date With Destiny: The Untold Story of UA 1175.”

A brand new edition of Roqe featuring interviews with acclaimed British-Iranian painter, Afshin Naghouni in London, and outstanding Italian-British-Iranian classical music siblings, The Shirvani Sisters in Rome. Plus a fiery and funny debate and Roqe Roundup in the Roqe Studio with Jian, Pegah, and journalist, Mahsa Mortazavi.

A new episode of Roqe including a feature interview with outstanding and influential Iranian-American architect, Gisue Hariri. Known for her award-winning innovative designs and groundbreaking contributions to the world of architecture, Gisue joins Jian from New York to tell her remarkable story of rising from a life in the desert of Khuzestan with her sister to the heights of the global design world - as well as her pioneering role as a woman in the field. Plus, the show starts with a loud discussion between Jian and Pegah addressing the question, “Can we make unity happen in the Iranian diaspora?” and a Roundup of the most recent global day of action, Ronaldo in Tehran, and the most concerning elements of Raisi’s new visit to America.

A special edition of Roqe and a big new season launch, featuring prominent Iranian voices from around the globe all assembling on this show to offer perspectives and reflect on lessons learned at the one year anniversary of the killing of Mahsa Jina Amini. Jian is joined by a diverse and impressive group to give their heartfelt thoughts, and prognostications on the enduring impact of the pivotal events that have taken over the last year, both inside and outside of Iran.

Feature guests include:

Swedish MP, Azadeh Rozhan in Stockholm

Musical icon, Faramarz Aslani in Washington DC

Acclaimed poet and activist, Hila Sedighi in Dubai

Surgeon and social media star Kayvan “Dr. Kay” Mirhadi in New York

Comedian Tehran in Los Angeles

Academic and activist Forouq Canaani in Munich

YouTube star Bahador Alast in Toronto

Broadcaster Kambiz Hosseini in LA

Journalist and blogger Nikahang Kowsar in Washington DC

Acclaimed dancer, Kosar Abbasi in LA

LGBTQ activist Javid Jabari in Toronto

Writer and performer Banafsheh Taherian in Toronto

Guitar virtuoso and composer Babak Amini in Toronto

Plus the debut of a brand new recording from Babak Amini dedicated to the uprising. And Jian begins the show with a stirring audio essay entitled, “We won’t count on the West to save Iran.”