Mick Hartley

Did you know?

The Italian anthem "Bella Ciao," now embraced by Iranian women fighting for freedom, has roots in Jewish folk music.

The melody originally came from Eastern European Jewish traditions before evolving into a symbol of resistance and unity. pic.twitter.com/CLp3gwdqKJ

— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) August 31, 2024

I can't resist re-posting this, from November 2022:

Two Iranian sisters sing the old Italian protest song Bella Ciao:

This clip features two videos posted to Instagram by a Persian woman named Samin Bolouri. In the first video, posted on July 12, 2020, Samin and her sister Behin are seen wearing hijabs and singing a Persian version of an Italian protest song titled "Bella Ciao." In the second video, posted on September 16, 2022, Samin and Behin are seen without hijabs singing a different Persian version of the song. This second version of the song is linked to the widespread anti-regime protests that have been taking place in Iran since Jina (Mahsa) Amini died after being beaten and arrested by Iran's morality police for not wearing her hijab properly. In the latter version, the sisters sang: "The cluster of our anger is thirsty for rain. Our rights are not petty… Finally, the chains of oppression will be broken by our hands."

From Wikipedia:

"Bella ciao" ("Goodbye beautiful") is an Italian protest folk song from the late 19th century, originally sung by the mondina workers in protest against the harsh working conditions in the paddy fields of Northern Italy….

Versions of "Bella ciao" continue to be sung worldwide as a hymn of freedom and resistance.