While Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejab's, speech at Columbia University was highly publicized and hotly debated, little was said about his side-trip to Boston to address the student body at Berklee College of Music.  Ahmadinejab spoke at an early morning assembly in one of the campus's 40 ensemble rooms.  The unexpectedly large turnout of students and one faculty member – five in all, still managed to escape the mainstream media's attention.

In his speech, Ahmedinejab said, "In Iran we don't have jazz musicians like in your country.  We don't have that like in your country.  In Iran, we do not have this phenomenon.  I don't know who's told you that we have this." 

When asked if Iran had other types of musicians, why were their no jazz musicians?  Ahmedinejab explained, "On the one hand certain hopes and opportunities exist.  Although these challenges are very real, we believe we are not predestined to experience them.  There are researchers who want to approach the topic from a different perspective.  Why are they put into prison?  Right now, there are a number of European academics who have been sent to prison because they attempted to write about Jazz or research it from a different perspective, questioning certain aspects of it.  Given this historical music form, if it is a reality, we need to still question whether people should be paying for it or not. After all, it happened in back rooms and bars. The people had no role to play in it.  So why is it that the people are paying the price of a musical style they had nothing to do with?

In a question and answer session after the speech, one student asked, "Do you or your government seek the destruction of jazz as a music style?"  Ahmedinejab answered, "We love music.  We are friends with the rap artists.  There are many rap artists living in Iran with security [editorial sidebar: most living in maximum security until their execution date].  You must understand that in our constitution and our laws and the parliamentary elections for every 150,000 people we get one representative in the parliament.  For the rap community, one-fifth of this number, they still get one independent representative in the parliament." 

A first year student, who awoke and suddenly realized he was in the wrong room, asked where the beginning brass ensemble was meeting.  Ahmedinejab replied, "Some big powers create a monopoly over music and prevent other nations in achieving musical development as well.  This, too, is one of the surprises of our time.  Some big powers do not want to see the progress of other societies and nations.  They turn to thousands of reasons; make allegations, place economic sanctions to prevent other nations from developing and advancing, all resulting from their distance from human values and the teachings of the divine prophets."

The assembly ended abruptly when a saxophone-toting student stuck his head in the door shouting, "The cafeteria is opened.  Let's go grab some breakfast!"  Ahmedinejab shook his head and remarked, "Regretfully, they have not been trained to serve mankind."

- Elizabeth Ware