By: Marjan Abdi, PhD
As a Persian living in Diaspora, I have
always felt responsible to show a fair portrait of my land, history and culture.
For this very reason, with the help of friends and family, I managed to gather
some books and documents as well as website addresses all equipping me with
enough sources to play my part in this very corner of the
world.
I have the privilege of sharing my
life with a man with same vision, a man whose passion is nothing but preserving
culture and helping all true contributors to Persian art and culture to be
recognized and valued internationally. The result of this marriage of passions
is the creation of WAALM – Persian Golden Lioness Awards® to not only
acknowledge the efforts of Persians, but also non-Persians whose hearts are also
beating for the same purpose, who have played a role in making people of other
nations acquainted with our cultural foundation.
One of those recent non-Persians who
has been inspired by visiting Takht-e-Jamshid and has eventually written his
first children’s book is Howard Lee, the Award Winner Author of
Jamshid and the Lost Mountain of Light©: www.jamshid.gb.com
Howard Lee ©WAALM
I had the pleasure of meeting with
Mr. Lee and his lovely wife Dr. Mozhgan Hossieni-Nia at the 2nd
Annual Persian Golden Lioness Awards® www.waalm.com where he was awarded for his book
in Budapest in October 2006. Both Dr. Dorbayani
and I found him a true gentleman, a keen observer, and a genuine admirer of our
very Persian Foundation.
Mr. Lee, was the first to receive
the award at the 2nd Annual Persian Golden Lioness Awards® who
delivered a beautiful message to the Academy and his audience. Here is part of
his speech:
"I am so pleased that my book was
well received by Persians - it is perhaps risky for someone from one culture to
create within the heritage of another, but I do believe that there is so much in
Persian culture, both old and new, to inspire new art.
When I first saw ‘Takht-e-Jamshid’ I was completely
overwhelmed by the size of the buildings, their scale, their sophistication, and
I’m marveled at the civilization that produced such splendor two and a half
millennia ago. But as I did the research for my book, I came to realize that the
palaces, the sculptures, the roads, the canals, even the armies were not what
made the Achaemenid Persians great. Those were just by-products. What really
made them great were their core values. They up-held truth, they lived by the
rule of law, and they promoted tolerance. It seems to me that those Persian
values are universal civilized values that are expressed in the ideals of
secular democracy and also in the Islamic ideals of compassion, mercy, and
justice. For where is compassion without tolerance? Where is justice without
truth?
Looking at this beautiful statuette,
it’s seems ironic that this beast, a mythical beast of that, represents human
creativity so well. To me this award stands for the triumph of individual
expression over politics, over background, over history, over geography, over
prejudice. To me, it expresses just how heritage enriches us, every single one
of us, and that’s why I am humbled to receive this award."
We shall all recognise the effort of
non-Persian contributors to our culture more than ever, and treasure people like
Howard Lee for their outstanding dedication.
His book is a great addition to
every library, especially ours, and we take pride in the fabulous story he has
created: the story of ‘Jamshid’, a brave boy who helps to save an Empire with
the help of ‘Ghoreed’ a legendary griffin. A must-read for every Persian.
WAALM – Persian Golden Lioness
Awards®: www.waalm.com
Jamshid and the Lost Mountain of
Light©: http://www.jamshid.gb.com/
View Mr. Lees' Biography here
