Editing Blackface (section)

=== Iran ===
[[File:HajjiFiruz.JPG|thumb|150px|[[Hajji Firuz]] in [[Tehran]], Iran]]In [[Persian theatre|Iranian traditional theater]], a performance art known as ''[[siah-bazi]]'' features a character with a blackened face who engages in humorous and satirical acts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Behnegarsoft.com |title=Iran Book News Agency (IBNA) - “Siah-bazi a forbidden play” released |url=http://www.ibna.ir/vdcawon6u49nmy1.tgk4.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20140714164839/http://www.ibna.ir/vdcawon6u49nmy1.tgk4.html |archive-date=2014-07-14 |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=www.ibna.ir}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Armbrust|first=Walter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0TcLEgR9GkMC|title=Mass Mediations: New Approaches to Popular Culture in the Middle East and Beyond|publisher=University of California Press|year=2000|isbn=0520219260|location=California|pages=63–64}}</ref> This character often serves as a comedic foil, challenging authority figures through wit and jest.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-04-19 |title=Opinion: The "Cursed Three" and the "Supreme Leader" - ASHARQ AL-AWSAT |url=http://www.aawsat.net/2013/04/article55299199 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20150620163357/http://www.aawsat.net/2013/04/article55299199 |archive-date=2015-06-20 |access-date=2025-05-17 |work=ASHARQ AL-AWSAT |language=en-US}}</ref> The use of blackface in ''siah-bazi'' has been a longstanding element of the performance, though it has faced criticism in contemporary times.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Collective |first=Ajam Media |date=2016-12-07 |title=A Review of Tarabnameh, or, Why Are Iranian-Americans Laughing at Blackface in 2016? |url=https://ajammc.com/2016/12/07/why-are-iranian-americans-laughing-at-blackface-in-2016/ |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=Ajam Media Collective |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Fathali Beigi|first=Davood|date=January 16, 2013|title="Siah-Bazi A Forbidden Play" Released|url=http://www.ibna.ir/vdcawon6u49nmy1.tgk4.html|access-date=April 12, 2021|website=Iranian Book News Agency (IBNA)|archive-date=July 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714164839/http://www.ibna.ir/vdcawon6u49nmy1.tgk4.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Additionally, during the [[Nowruz]] celebrations in Iran, an [[Iranian folklore]] character named [[Hajji Firuz]] is traditionally portrayed by a performer in blackface,<ref name="Noruz">{{cite web|url=http://traditionscustoms.com/festivals/noruz|title=Noruz {{!}} TraditionsCustoms.com|website=traditionscustoms.com|language=en|access-date=September 2, 2018|archive-date=October 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015102055/http://traditionscustoms.com/festivals/noruz|url-status=dead}}</ref> singing and dancing to bring joy for the new year.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Baghoolizadeh |first=Beeta |date=2021 |title=The Myths of Haji Firuz: The Racist Contours of the Iranian Minstrel |url=https://csalateral.org/forum/cultural-constructions-race-racism-middle-east-north-africa-southwest-asia-mena-swana/myths-haji-firuz-racist-contours-iranian-minstrel-baghoolizadeh/ |journal=Lateral |language=en-US |volume=10 |issue=1 |doi=10.25158/L10.1.12 |issn=2469-4053|doi-access=free }}</ref>