Young Iranian Street Artists Battle the Crackdown

          
          Young Iranian Stitet Mists Battle the Cmokdown - T 4E http://www.time oom/tim&world/article/O, 8599, 1915342,00,html?iid—d,,
          P&5>ars
          TIME
          SEARCH TIMECOM
          w ,
          S
          this
          is (SCLC
          World ADD TIME N EWS NEWSLETTERS
          Main The China Blog Postcards Global Adviser Videos Podcast
          a- -
          DISCOVER)
          >. Iranian band Hypernova, now in
          exile in the Weat
          /
          Twitter
          Linkedin
          Facebook MORE...
          For a few hours on a recent evening, the headaches of keeping a step
          ahead of Iran's notorious security forces begin to fade.
          Skateboarders, BMX bikers and aggressive inline skaters zip down
          the quarter-pipe in their baggy street wear, pumping their arms
          whenever they land a tricky move. Small groups of teens from
          relatively well-off families, some still in middle school, standon the
          sidelines staring in awe while beats spin over the booming speakers.
          Iranian Rockers
          Unite for Freedom
          Photos
          ..
          The Turbulent
          Aftermath of Iran's
          Election
          Photos
          InTehran,Terror tn
          Plain Clothes
          More Related
          In Iran, New
          The capital's only skate park is a rare refuge for
          som e of the country ‘s restless and burgeoning
          youths, allowing them to congregate without
          being harassed by the feared Basij militia.
          Under President MahmoudAhmadinejad's rule
          and particularly since the disputed June 12
          election, when thousands of angry teens and
          20-somethings took to the streets, the religious
          police have cracked down on this sort of
          rebellious youth culture, driving it further
          underground. “These artists are at the same
          level as those in the West, but they're working
          under the most incredible pressures,” explains
          an Iranian electro-music producer who is in his
          20s. “If they're arrested here, the end of the
          road is execution.”
          (See pictures olpeople around the world protesting the
          Iranian election.)
          That is not to say these musicians, artists and
          skater punks have been cowed into silence;
          rather, their influence in a country where 2
          out of3 are under the age of3o, with many
          hungry for Western cultural imports, has
          perhaps never been greater. In the run-up to
          the presidential election, many young voters
          were eagerly trading CD mix tapes featuring
          underground artists — practically all working
          Gel 4 Free Trial Issues of TIME Magazine
          Bath of Aerica
          Make the most
          of your money.
          There's a new source for
          your flnanc aI questions.
          GET STARTED
          Bath of AericC
          Most Popular )} Full List)>
          MOST READ MOST EMPJLED
          1. Why MRIa Don't Leadto Better Cancer
          Survival
          2. What Came Before the Big Bang?
          3. Why Exercise Won't MakeYouThin
          4. Ezekiel Emanuel,Obama's'Deadly Doctor,'
          Strikes Back
          5. ATexasJudge onTrial:Closedtoa
          Death-Row Appeal?
          6. Corporal Punishment in U.S.Schools
          7. Dis tricf 9: The Summer's Coolest Fantasy
          Film
          8. Graffiti, Hip-Hop, Sk8s:Tehran's Young
          Graffiti, Hip-Hop, Sk8s: Teh ran's Young
          Rebels Battle the Crackdown
          By TIME STAFF Filthy, Aug. 07, 200
          Print
          Email
          Reprints 34 diggit
          Buzz upl (1)
          . fl
          Related
          Video
          2 of 3
          8/13/2009 10:27 AM
        

          
          Young Iranian Sti et Artists Battle the Cmckdown - TIME http://www.time. comltime/world/aiticle/O, 8599, 1915342,00.html?iidd...
          U Y © 2009 Time Inc. All rights reserved I Privacy Policy I i RSS I Newsletter I TIME For Kids LIFE.com
          — Ak. — Subscribe I Contact Us I Terms of Use I Media Kit I Reprints & Permissions I Opinion Leaders Panel I Help I Site Map
          3 of3 8/13/2009 10:27 AM