Roqe

A feature interview with Iranian-Canadian comedian, commentator and host of the podcast, “Unfiltered,” Sahar Golshani. Sahar has become a popular online presence for her funny posts and poignant observations on being Persian in the diaspora. She joins Jian in the Roqe Studio for a wide-ranging discussion about cultural practises, (not) caring what others think, destructive attitudes of Iranians, her clothing line, and very candid personal reflection on growing up with a dangerous and absentee father. Plus Kyan brings a new edition of It’s All Persian to Us, and the team discusses bathroom doors and nose jobs.

A feature interview with Iranian-Italian designer and founder of Azitoys, Azadeh Shams. She has also become an internationally known expert on raising bilingual children. Azadeh joins Jian from Milan to discuss how she united her troika of passions - design, language and children - by creating a popular new line of educational toys for toddlers called, Azitoys, that, among other things, help young kids living outside of Iran learn how to speak Persian. Plus the Roqe Team reads Letters of the Week, and Jian tells the story of his French bulldog Oogie’s football fandom.

A feature interview with Iranian-American wrestling pioneer and champion, Afsoon Roshanzamir Johnston. Afsoon was the first ever world medalist in women’s wrestling in 1989, and has been a multiple medalist and champion since then. She joins Jian from San Diego to recount her story of being born in Tehran before emigrating to the United States at the age of 11 in 1984, finding her confidence and identity as a wrestler (in the footsteps of her famous wrestling father), overcoming cultural and gender barriers to join the American national team by her late teens, winning awards including a gold medal with Team USA as coach at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, and her brand new biography entitled, “Afsoon”. She opens up about her emotions in not only being recognized as an American star, but an Iranian one as well these days. Plus, the Roqe Team ponders Jian’s confusion at the Persian names for Jesus and Moses.

A feature interview with legendary Iranian-American painter, Nicky (Nikzad) Nodjoumi. Nicky has been voted the “fifth most influential contemporary artist of Iran” for his works that take on social power, justice and freedom as their subject. He joins Jian from New York for an intimate and wide-ranging conversation that includes his recent acclaim, his rituals as a painter, his early years in Iran, becoming politically engaged and censured under the Shah, and then being expelled after the 1979 Iranian revolution and losing many of his precious works. Plus the Roqe Team reads letters about a recent episode with Hila Sedighi, and Jian explains that the current Euro football championship will inevitably lead him to heartbreak.

A feature interview with Iranian poet, painter and social activist, Hila Sedighi. Hila joins Jian from Dubai for a rare long-form interview discussing her journey from young writer, law student, and organizer in Tehran, to becoming the symbol of youth resistance and power during the Green Movement protests after the disputed presidential election of 2009. She recounts her multiple arrests and prison sentences, her lessons learned and nightmares about the lack of democracy in Iran, and her current life as a writer, documentarian and cultural advocate based in UAE.

(The interview is conducted in Persian)

Plus Kyan delivers a new edition of “It’s All Persian To Us” and Jian continues to wonder why people are surprised that he’s tall.

A diverse edition of Roqe including feature interviews with Iranian-American NASA Project Manager, Barmac Taleghani, and the Iranian-British founder of “Tahdig Lover,” Sahar Fatemi. First, Sahar joins Jian from Nottingham England to talk about her journey from Isfahan to Britain as a teen, becoming a football analyst for the English Premier League in her early-20s, and now parlaying her lifelong love of cooking and Persian cuisine into a thriving and popular online venture focused on Iranian crunchy rice - tahdig.

Then Barmac joins from Virginia to discuss developing technologies that can assist NASA to pioneer the future of space exploration. Barmac is a Project Manager at NASA who currently leads the development of a lunar crane that will aid astronauts in off-loading payloads from the lander to lunar surface. He moved from Iran in the midst of the 1979 revolution as a teenager and is living a dream as an engineer who was always fascinated by aeronautics.

Plus the Roqe Team reads through Letters of the Week and shares opinions about Shaya’s bohemian clothing choices.

A fun-filled episode including a feature interview with Iranian-Canadian comedian and actor, Neema Nazeri. Neema has become an internet sensation with his zany characters, funny accents, and dancing videos with mom. He joins Jian in the Roqe Studio to talk about growing up in Toronto and performing standup at Persian family gatherings as a kid, playing empty clubs and dreaming of a career in comedy, battling depression and mental health crises, and finding his voice and path as an authentic soul doing what makes him laugh on various social media platforms. Plus Kyan delivers a new edition of “It’s All Persian To Us” and the Roqe On-air Team debates “street language” as Captain Reza recovers from his second dose of Pfizer.

A diverse and upbeat edition of Roqe including feature interviews with Italian writer and documentarian Antonello Sacchetti, and Iranian-Canadian fashion designer Rojan Hooshyar. Antonello joins Jian from Rome to talk about being an Italian journalist who has grown a passion for all things Persian. He discusses falling in love with Iranian culture, his many trips to the country, the books and blogs he has written about Iran, and how he wishes to change global perceptions of Iranians through his media platforms. Rojan joins Jian from Vancouver to discuss her rising style brand, La Femme Roje, her mission to show the world the true power and uniqueness of Middle Eastern women, and her goal do so in a “slow fashion” sustainable and ethical way. Plus the Roqe Team pores through letters about the Pahlavi Dynasty series and Jian asks Shaya how to say ‘encyclopedia’ in Persian.

A feature interview with adventurous and popular Iranian music ensemble, Rastak. Rastak members Siamak, Farzad and Dina join Jian from Tehran to talk about their mission as creative musical explorers. This is a wide-ranging interview that covers the experimental beginnings of Rastak, to collecting, recording and interpreting Iranian folk music, to the responsibilities of representing different indigenous cultures to the world - in a joyous and dance-inducing way! - and becoming a household name in Iran and International festival sensations. This interview is conducted in Persian with English subtitles on Youtube and Instagram. Plus the Roqe on-air team convene to discuss tennis, Reza’s new juice cleanse, and Letters of the Week about veganism and science.

This is a 3-Part series based on interviews conducted in 2020. On the 40th anniversary year of the death of the Shah, we aim to assess the current accepted understanding of the history of Iran in the last century, the place of the Pahlavi Dynasty, and the precipitants of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The series features three well-known thinkers who have all deeply studied the Pahlavi era and have differing opinions on the legacy of Mohammad Reza Shah, four decades after his death in exile.