With great sadness and sorrow, the world bids farewell to Marjane Satrapi: a remarkable woman, an opponent of the Iranian theocracy and a fighter for the cause of women’s liberation in Iran.
From a reader of Alborada Comunista.
With great sadness and sorrow, the world bids farewell to a remarkable woman, an opponent of the Iranian theocracy and a fighter for the cause of women’s liberation in Iran. On June 4th, Marjane Satrapi, graphic novelist, writer, and filmmaker, passed away at the age of 56. Her short life was imbued with meaning from a very young age, and she fought for it until her final days. Sometimes we forget that human life is limited, that our time is finite, and it would be worthwhile to reflect on what we do with the time we have.
Satrapi‘s commitment to condemning the oppression of women was exemplary. She drew comics about Iranian women, brought together several artists to create a publication about the Woman-Life-Freedom uprising that broke out after the death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini, and in a film about Marie Curie, she showed the importance of women’s participation not only in science, but also in the political struggle.
Trailer for Persepolis
With the bold, dark lines of her graphic novel Persepolis, she transformed an autobiographical account into a portrait of Iranian society during a pivotal period. Through the eyes of young Marjane, we witness the uprising of the Iranian people against the hated Shah and his U.S.-backed puppet government. We learn about the crucial role of artists, intellectuals and professionals in the struggle against this regime, and we get a glimpse into the diversity of forces within the uprising, in which liberals, communists (some Maoists), and Islamist religious figures played important roles.
In her world-famous graphic novel, Satrapi invites us to learn how, after the overthrow of the monarchy and the hijacking of the revolution by Islamic fundamentalists, waves of repression, arrests, torture, exile and executions were unleashed which women bore the brunt of—even seeking to perpetuate the mandatory wearing of the headscarf—and which began to mark the lives of millions of Iranians and shaped a part of the world in which we are living now.
Satrapi denounced and condemned the oppression and repression of the Iranian population by Islamic fundamentalists and desired a different future for her country, but this did not mean she sided with the imperialists who have exploited the righteous hatred of the Islamic Republic to further their imperialist domination. As she stated: “There are many things I want for my country: I want my country to be free, I want my country to be democratic, I don’t want any journalist to go to jail for an article they wrote in my country. But if the United States of America were to attack my country, no matter what, I would be against the United States.”
Satrapi stated in several interviews, “It is very important that this regime disappear,” but emphasized that “it could not happen overnight. I think it is important to maintain hope.” Of course, this is true, but hope must be based on a scientific understanding of the type of system we live under, its contradictions, its dynamics, and the corresponding solution. It is precisely this that distinguishes another group of Iranians who were marked by the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and have dedicated their lives to its overthrow and the overthrow of imperialism.
Satrapi wanted democracy for her country. For many, and perhaps for her as well, this democratic yearning encompasses a desire for an end to the repression currently exercised by the Ayatollahs’ regime in Iran, a desire for freedom of expression and the flourishing of dissent. And many call this a “democratic society.” The desire for these political freedoms and for a society that allows dissent is legitimate and positive; what is questionable is the (very widespread) idea that there is (or that it is possible to achieve) an abstract “democracy” in a class-divided society like all contemporary societies.
Even more questionable is the association (not that Marjane Satrapi made it directly or explicitly, but it is very common) of “democracy” with the types of regimes existing in the “West.” What is democracy in a system based on the terrible exploitation and oppression of millions of people? What is democracy in a society divided into social classes and profound inequalities? This much-vaunted democracy of the West is the same one that drops bombs and takes the lives of children in Gaza and that today launches missiles at Lebanon and Iran, which drives home why democracy in this capitalist system is nothing more than the dictatorship of the minority of oppressors over the majority of oppressed.
The debate on these issues is not merely theoretical discussion; these are decisive points about whether an oppressive society like those in Iran, the United States or Israel will continue, or whether a society where all exploitation and oppression ends will be achieved, and as part of that, a society where dissent flourishes, like the one Marjane dreamed of, will truly be attained.
And yes, it’s true that this society won’t emerge overnight. It requires an intense struggle. And that’s where questions like these become important: What are we going to dedicate our lives to? Is it possible for the world to be different and better? These are the questions that those who can no longer bear to see the suffering, pain and despair of millions of human beings would ask, and those who would step forward to understand the causes and work wholeheartedly for the emancipation of humanity.
Within Iran itself, we have many examples. Azar Derakhshan was a prominent member of the Communist Party of Iran (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist). She left Iran in the mid-1980s. A tireless fighter against patriarchal oppression in Iran and around the world, she deeply understood the crucial role of communist theory in developing a scientific understanding of the source of oppression and the path to emancipation through communist revolution. Exiled in Europe, Azar worked to forge a revolutionary force within the Iranian women’s movement. She was passionately committed to training new communists and, with great dedication until the end of her life, contributed as much as she could to liberating the world from the capitalist nightmare. She is a shining example of perseverance, of remaining true to her principles, of the kind of morality required, of the immeasurable joy she found in understanding the advances in communist theory, and of the fortitude to dedicate her life to advancing a world free from exploitation and oppression.
So, when the lives of most are being crushed, when people’s spirits are being broken, when there is a threat of nuclear war, when climate disaster is accelerating, what should our role be in all of this? Should this paralyze us, or should we blindly continue our lives trying to get something more for ourselves within this system? Or, on the contrary, could we dedicate our lives to fighting for something radically different, for a better world? Since life is limited, it is better that our lives be dedicated to achieving emancipatory goals. Let us learn from the rebellion, courage and fearlessness of Iranian women fighters like Somayeh Kargar, Sepideh Gholian, and so many other fighters in Iran’s prisons who dream and strive, even in the most difficult situations, to give their lives a liberating meaning.
The reality of the world shows us that we exist as a single body, as humanity. We have far more in common with the Iranian, Palestinian, Congolese or Mexican people than with the ruling classes of the countries we inhabit. Exploiters and oppressors also have something in common everywhere in the world—the maintenance of their system. And if we go with the flow, we are squandering the opportunity and the possibility of ending this system, while giving them more time to destroy the lives of others like us around the globe.
Understanding and envisioning a meaningful life is urgently needed now in relation to the wars of empire unleashed by imperialism, the rise of fascism in the world, and the destruction of the environment.
We need the kind of struggle that Marjane Satrapi waged, with her courage, her art, her rebellious spirit, and her scathing criticism of tyranny. Like her, some intellectuals are driven by fundamental contradictions in society to oppose certain forms of oppression when they come to understand the outdated nature of the dominant relations. But more than that, this understanding must lead them to the necessity of changing the world and building another on an entirely new foundation, to stand with the oppressed. And this kind of struggle acquires even greater meaning when it joins with the more advanced struggle. Our lives gain meaning when we use it to contribute as much as we can to the emancipation of humanity. Today, more than ever, we need our hearts to beat as one to wage a determined fight against this imperialist capitalist system.