Workshops at IYDA and The Little Black Fish

The Little Black Fish is an Iranian children’s story written in 1967 by Samad Behrangi. Behrangi sadly drowned at the age of 28 while swimming in a local river but his work continues to be revered in Iranian society. The story tells of a fish who longs to explore beyond the stream in which she lives, eventually taking her on an adventurous journey across the sea. The book is deeply embedded in Iranian culture, widely considered to be a powerful political allegory for freedom and heroism and speaking to currents of resistance existing within Iranian society. The original edition was sublimely illustrated by Iranian graphic designer Farshid Meshghali who won a host of prizes for his work including the Hans Christian Andersen Prize for illustration in 1974.

This wonderful book will provide the source material for a series of workshops I will be running with IYDA, a community group in Woolwich supporting young Farsi-speakers and their families. As we enter the second stage of Stay Close, I will be using this story to encourage Farsi-speakers aged 4-60 to consider and represent their ethnic identity through language, performance and sound. I will be joined by musicians from our Stay Close ensemble playing both Iranian and Western instruments who will support the children in their work.

The Little Black Fish has been translated into German, Dutch, French, English, Russian, Spanish, Arabic and Turkish and continues to be enjoyed by readers the world over. I would recommend seeking out the original version with Farshid Meshghali’s illustrations as, in my opinion, they bring the book alive in a way that no other illustrator has equalled.