International “Soode” Poetry Gathering in Qom: More Than Just Poetry, a Convergence of Voices from Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan Speaking of Resistance Through Poetry.
Qom hosted one of the provincial sessions of the International “Soode” Women’s Resistance Poetry Congress on Thursday, Dey 11th (January 1, 2025). This gathering became an occasion to discuss women’s role in shaping the discourse of resistance. Poets and cultural activists from various countries came together to share experiences, concerns, and the future horizons of resistance literature.
According to a report by the Jahanbanu news base, international poets including Alia Al-Attar from Iraq, Rima Al-Bayati from Syria, Iman Sharaf Al-Din from Lebanon, Aini Razavi from India, Syeda Sabahat from Pakistan, and Mohaddesa Nabi Hussaini from Afghanistan attended, alongside Iranian poets such as Seyed Mohammad Javad Sherfat, Seyed Salman Alavi, Javad Mohammad Zamani, Amir Hossein Hedayati, Mohammad Hossein Mahdavian, Mehhta Sanei, Samaneh Khalfzadeh, Faizeh Amjadian, Atefeh Khorrami, Razieh Mozaffari, and Atefeh Joshghaniyan.
Cultural Diplomacy and Women Who Have Embraced Resistance
Hojatoleslam Eslami, Director of the Islamic Culture and Communications Center, speaking on the sidelines, stated: “The Islamic Culture and Communications Organization is responsible for the cultural diplomacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran and, with approximately 65 cultural attachés in different countries, strives to introduce Islamic Iranian culture.”
Emphasizing global developments concerning women, he added: “Today we witness the increasing inclination of women worldwide towards the discourse of resistance; women who sometimes have no prior familiarity with Islam but have aligned themselves with concepts like seeking justice, fighting oppression, and criticizing Zionism. This awakening results from the awareness that Western ideology, in the name of freedom, has led women to a form of modern slavery.”
Eslami stressed that this inclination is clearly visible both in the real world and in cyberspace; women who write poetry, produce content, and shout the voice of resistance in their own language.
Why “Soode”?
Atefeh Joshghaniyan, the Scientific Secretary of the “Soode” Poetry Congress, explained the philosophy behind the event: “The axis of the congress is resistance, but the main focus is on women of resistance; women who have been trendsetters.”
She described the choice of the name “Soode” as a return to a historical model: “Soode was one of the women from the early Islamic era and a companion of Amir al-Mu’minin (AS) who was present at the Battle of Siffin and defended guardianship (Wilayah). She was a poet whose poetry served resistance and truth. We want to keep this tradition alive today.”
According to the Scientific Secretary, the event is held in five languages: Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Korean, and English, and selected poems will be translated for global publication.
Women: Trendsetters of Discourse
Hojatoleslam Abdollahzadeh, Director General of Networking and Leadership for Women’s Seminaries in the country, emphasized the historical role of women: “In all revolutions, women have played a key role; both in the Islamic Revolution of Iran and in the Sacred Defense. Women have the ability to set trends and shape discourse, and today, poetry is one of their most effective tools.”
Referring to the current conditions of the resistance front, he added: “After recent developments, especially the issue of Gaza, the necessity of seriously addressing resistance literature is felt more than ever. Seminarians and women familiar with religious texts can use poetry as an eloquent language to transform an incident into an event and infuse it into the veins of society.”
Poetry: Emotion That Must Reach Thought
Seyed Mohammad Javad Sherfat, a poet, analyzing the relationship between women and resistance poetry, emphasized the element of emotion: “The main element of poetry is emotion, and women are naturally closer to this realm. This enables them to react more quickly and effectively at critical junctures.”
He warned, however, that relying solely on emotion can be limiting: “If emotion is not accompanied by language, imagination, music, and thought, the poetry remains within that emotional sphere. The expectation is that women poets approach the subjects of resistance with a detailed, case-oriented perspective.”
Referring to successful experiences in oral history and women’s literature, Sherfat said: “Both the narrator and author of many enduring works in the field of women have been women themselves; because only a woman can correctly narrate the lived experience of a woman. If the ‘Sowda’ congress pays attention to this subtlety, it can lead to the production of lasting works.”
The Challenge of “Being International”
One of the serious themes raised in this gathering was the concept of “international,” which, according to Sherfat, should not remain only in the title. He emphasized that poetry, to become global, requires performance, music, and artistic presentation, and the main question is, “What happens after the work is produced?”
This concern was a common point among many speakers: that if the “Sowda” congress, from the very beginning, thinks about the path of global publication, performance, and impact, it can transform from an occasional event into an enduring cultural movement.
The International “Sowda” Poetry Gathering showed that resistance literature, especially from the voices of women, is a living and expanding potential. This potential, if accompanied by planning, a global perspective, and attention to women’s narratives, can transform poetry from a text into a voice, and from a voice into a movement.
It is worth mentioning that the International Sowda Poetry Congress is being held in multiple provincial sessions during the month of Dey, and its closing ceremony will take place during the Ten-Day Dawn of the Islamic Revolution.
Reporter: Mehta Sanei