A talk by Dr Shahireh Sharif

In 940 AD in Paj (Pazh), on the outskirts of the city of Tus (Tous) in north eastern Iran, a boy was born. He grew up to become the creator of a palace made entirely of Persian poetry. His name was Ferdowsi and his masterpiece is called the Shahnameh, the ‘Book of Kings’. In Shahnameh – More Than a Book of Kings, we’ll be looking at stories and wisdom contained within the book. For example we look at the story of a boy whom is considered an outcast because he is born with white hair and white eyelashes. Is today's society more able to accept and embrace differences?

Led by people who have made Manchester their home, School of Integration is a learning space, a meeting place, a treasure chest of our culture and lived experiences. It is a place for connection and reflection, highlighting individual and global stories and creating conversation. It provides a space for expanding the common ground we stand on through informal shared learning. It is an invitation to become confident in our differences, to learn together and strengthen our connections with each other, to create a stronger whole.

School of Integration is a project initiated by activist and artist Tania Bruguera, highlighting the experiences of immigrants, critically questioning the terms ‘migrant’ and ‘integration’, inventing new terminologies and celebrating the power of human movement.

Throughout the past year School of Integration teachers have created a series of films from their homes and other spaces. These films will be launched through a series of weekly screenings through Zoom. Join the teachers live to watch the films and have discussion afterwards.

School of Integration is supported by Manchester International Festival and Manchester Art Gallery.