Sahand Sahebdivani (born 18 May 1980 in Tehran) is an
Iranian–Dutch storyteller, musician and founder of cultural center the
Mezrab.
Biography
After the
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
, at the age of three Sahebdivani fled with his parents from Iran to the Netherlands in 1983. They were originally headed for Canada, but missed their transfer in Amsterdam, which is why the family ended up in the Netherlands.
In his twenties he by chance got the opportunity to become storyteller at the
Tropenmuseum, when another Iranian storyteller noticed his hat in the tram.
He became motivated to continue his parents' Iranian tradition of storytelling and music making, which is why he founded the
Mezrab in 2004. This started as a monthly gathering in a small teahouse, but within ten years grew into an established cultural center with a multidisciplinary programme of five days per week.
As his cultural center grew, so did his career as an artist. Together with various storytellers, actors and musicians he performs at theatres and festivals across the Netherlands and internationally. In 2014 he was chosen as the Netherlands' Best Storyteller of the Year.
In 2017 together with storyteller Raphael Rodan he won the ''Amsterdam Fringe Gold Award'' for their play ''My Father Held a Gun.''
In 2020 Sahebdivani's cultural center won the ''Amsterdamprijs voor de Kunst'' (Amsterdam Prize for the Arts) for Best Achievements.
Theatre
Sahebdivani played in among others the following plays and shows:
* 2012–2015: ''Kingdom of Fire and Clay''
* 2016–2017: ''My Father Held a Gun''
* 2018: ''In het Hol van de Leeuw''
* 2019: ''De Ontheemden''
* 2020: ''Sons of Abraham''
* 2022: ''Stories of King Monkey''
* 2022: ''Het verre woord''
* 2023: ''Nachtreis''
See also
*
Mezrab, the cultural center founded by Sahebdivani
*
Storytelling
Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own stories or narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural pre ...
*
Iranians in the Netherlands
Iranians in the Netherlands form one of the newer and larger populations of the Iranian diaspora in Europe. Iranians in the Netherlands are referred to by hyphenated terms such as Dutch-Iranians, Iranian-Dutch, Dutch-Persian, or Persian-Dutch. S ...
External links
Official websiteWebsite of cultural centre the Mezrabh1>
References
Dutch artists
Dutch musicians
21st-century Dutch male actors
21st-century Iranian male actors
Iranian artists
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sahebdivani, Sahand
1980 births
Living people
People from Tehran
Exiles of the Iranian Revolution
Iranian emigrants to the Netherlands