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November 22, 2003
No Longer Waiting for Shirin
I guess even Nobel Prize winners have their bad days. Tired and irritated that yet another reporter was in front of her, Shirin Ebadi, the most recent winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace, starting talking loudly in Farsi to her assistant as soon as she saw me.
The problem? Apparently Ebadi was surprised to see me with a camera, and suspicious. I guess she has been interviewed by people who either aren't really reporters, or have sold their interview to another outlet besides their own. I showed her my business card, and wrote out a note saying that I was indeed an employee of Idaho Public Television. She then went back to being the gracious and yet determined woman she's known to be.
That I was able to interview Mrs. Ebadi at all was thanks to the assistance of Iranian-American Manijeh Badiozamani, who used to live in Boise. Her mother, who still lives in Tehran, is very good friends with Ebadi's mother. Out of the blue one day, I received an email from Manijeh asking me if I'd like to meet Ebadi. "Sure!" I wrote back. After several unsuccessful phone calls to an unhelpful assistant, I was finally assisted by Manijeh's cousin Marjan in getting through.
We left early to get to the appointment because the traffic was as hellatious as I'd seen it in Tehran. We were in a neighborhood that had only one main street, so all the traffic was just simply at a standstill.
We needn't have worried, though, because although we got there at 4:15 for a 4:30 appointment, I didn't get in to see Ebadi until 5:30. She was being interviewed by Norwegian State Television for a documentary and they went over their alloted time. In addition, there were two legal clients waiting to see her when I arrived, and yet another reporter and photographer arrived while I was still waiting. When I came out, there were two more crews waiting, as well as a translator of her work.
Ebadi's office seemed about as small as one could imagine a person of her importance, or for that matter any attorney, having. Her desk was the size of a child's desk and there was just enough room for some bookshelves and some chairs. It was dimly lit, and being in the basement didn't have much natural light either. Ebadi herself is diminutive, and the combination of natural dark circles under her eyes and a month of sleepless nights made her look very tired.
I set up the camera and the mike and then started the interview by telling her that I had been at the airport the night she came in. I asked her how she had felt that evening as she saw the thousands who had spontaneously come to greet her.
We then talked for another 20 minutes or so about her personal goals, and hopes for Iran. Ebadi understood enough English to get the gist of my questions, but she answered in Farsi. I will have to have it translated. Although I couldn't understand all of what she was saying, with my rudimentary Farsi I got some of the gist of it, and could tell she was answering passionately, so I hope I have good responses.
By the end of the interview, though, Ebadi's energy fizzled again noticeably. It was time to pack up and leave. I didn't even have any time to get b-roll of her. I took a few pictures of all the people in the waiting room and her assistants going through email, and then waited another 45 minutes for a cab.
Ebadi is so busy; I can't imagine what it will be like when she comes to America, which she says she hopes to do in May. I think she will need a manager, if she hasn't already hired one to deal with all the interviews in Norway during the Nobel Prize ceremony. I'm sure there's a book somewhere about the impact the Nobel Peace Prize has on people's lives. It has to be quite a shock to the system to deal with all the media attention, especially when it draws you away from the people that you want to serve. She will definitely have to get a bigger office.
Meeting Shirin Ebadi was totally fortuituous. I thank the people who helped make it happen, and will translate her interview soon and hopefully turn it into a piece, as she will be picking up her award in Norway, soon. Being able to see her seemed like a fitting end to my trip, as it was at the beginning of my journey that I had gone to the airport to see her arrive back in Iran.
Interestingly enough, 3 days later I saw the Norwegian TV crew again, as they were on my plane to Frankfurt. Small world indeed. They were able to spend the better part of two weeks with her, and I had a small amount of envy thinking about being able to do that kind of documentary work. But I felt fortunate that I had been able to have even a small window onto the world of someone who is making such great strides for human rights in Iran.
Posted by MJF at November 22, 2003 10:22 PM
Comments
Marcia:
Happened to be surfing, and read with interest your travelogue. Two words come to mind,,prescient (in speaking with the architect) and (one you used) fortuitous (in being able to interview the laureate.
Take Care
Mark
Posted by: Mark Annas at December 30, 2003 08:44 PM