Join us on Saturday, June 24 from 2–4pm for a live music presentation I Also Want to Be an “Iranian Woman” from Iranian multi-instrumentalist Kamila Thunder. Kamila will play the ney (traditional Persian reed flute), an instrument that she feels resonates with her gender challenges of “hearing the voice of both a woman and a man whispering in her ear.”
This event is free and open to the public, but you must RSVP here: https://go.ybca.org/dac-iranian-woman
Thunder interprets those voices into two completely different musical timbre sounds, like a feminine and a masculine voice having a conversation and singing together—as they are both deprived of great culture and in search of beloved freedom.
This program is presented in collaboration with the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts as part of the public programming for YBCA’s ongoing exhibition طراوت | TARAVAT—which highlights the voices, struggles, and personal stories of artists in the Bay Area who are carrying the torch of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement and LGBTQIA2S+ rights globally.
Thunder dedicates this performance to courageous Iranian women enduring prolonged suppression, hoping her presence sends a message of tolerance and freedom to Iranian society, while sharing the beauty of the secret notes that have been played underground with broken instruments for 1400 years.
About Kamila Thunder
Kamila Thunder is an Iranian multi-instrumentalist musician. After beginning piano lessons at age 9, she entered an Iranian music conservatory at age 14, when the Islamic regime of Iran heavily policed music and the arts. At the time, Thunder was living as a boy, and growing up amidst oppression, war, and fear. She was a victim of a sexual assault, and that trauma surfaced gender identity challenges for her in a male-dominated society.
Heartbroken and in search of an environment to create and express herself without boundaries, Thunder began to travel the world and has since collaborated with many musicians and artists. Currently living in the San Francisco Bay Area, she believes that the cultural diversity and the open mindset of Northern California create a vibe that is reflected in her music—respecting and hearing people with differences in ideas and life approaches.
In 2023, Thunder finally decided to present herself as the thoughtful, gentle, and proud woman who was hidden in her heart for many years—proud of being an “Iranian Woman” when the Woman, Life, Freedom movement became a shining star on dark nights and received international support. What better time to say “I Am an Iranian Woman” than today, when the whole world is admiring Iranian women for their courage and strength?
