Poster Design of the Islamic Revolution

Posters as political tools are nothing new. In the Middle East, two revolutionary movements led to some of the most potent and vibrant posters in design history. The Iranian Revolution and the expulsion of Palestinians due to civil war and the continued fight to reclaim Palestinian homelands from Israel. These posters effectively gave voice to the struggles of ordinary people resisting the influence and meddling of various Western powers. For Iran, that meant keeping the dream of an Islamic state free and independent from Western countries that had been trying for decades to install a democratic government. And once so much of Palestine had been taken over by Israel, the Palestinian resistance fought back with ideas as well as guns. Using powerful graphic imagery common to each of their respective cultures, like calligraphy, Islamic iconography, and the colors red, black, white, and green, resistance posters of both movements kept the fire of resistance burning brightly. The Iranian Revolution effectively concluded once the Shah of Iran was overthrown and power consolidated under the rule of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. Palestine wasn’t so lucky. While their resistance began much earlier than Iran’s, their fight still isn’t over and their resistance posters have continued, spilling over into the digital domain in a continued effort to reclaim their native homeland. TIMELINE1908 – Prince Yusuf Kamal founded the School of Fine Arts in Cairo, Egypt<br />1917 – Britain made Balfour Declaration to establish Palestine as a place for Jewish people<br />1921 – Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq declared independence from Britain<br />1922 – Egypt declared independence from Britain<br />1934 – University of Tehran Founded in Iran<br />1941 – Syria declared independence from France<br />1943 – Lebanon declared independence from France<br />1945 – End of WW II; Britain hands matter of Palestine to the USA<br />1948 – 750,000 Palestinians were forced to leave their homes due to Israeli takeover<br />1947 – United Nations Partition of Palestine, followed by Civil War in Palestine (Arab-Israeli War)<br />1948 – British completely withdrew from Palestine, and Israeli statehood declared<br />1949 – Syria's president Husni al-Za’im overthrown by a military coup<br /> 1950-54 – Designer & Artist Ismail Shammout attends the University of Cairo <br />1950s – Saqqakhana Group formed <br />1951 – Libya declared independence from France<br />1952 – Egyptian Monarchy overthrown by Free Officers Coup<br />1953 – USA and UK leaders helped to install Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi (overthrew Democratically elected Prime Minister Mossadegh) <br />1956 – Sudan declares independence from France, Israel attacked Egypt (Six Days War) <br />1958 – Iraq Monarchy overthrown, Shammout studies in a private graphic design workshop in Berlin, Egypt and Syria form the United Arab Republic<br />1959 – Yasser Arafat founded The Palestinian National Liberation Movement<br />1963 – Algeria declares independence from France<br />1965 – The Peoples Mojahedin Iranian organization was founded at the University of Tehran<br />1967 – Palestine National Liberation Movement joins the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) <br />1977- Iranian Revolution begins; Mostafa Khomeini, eldest son of Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini, dies of an unknown cause at age 47; Protest & violent, repressive response cycles begin in dozens of Iranian cities. <br />1978 – Cinema Rex Fire in Tehran; 477 Iranians killed in fire. <br />1978 – Black Friday, where government tanks and helicopters opened fire on 1,000+ protestos in Tehran<br />1979 –  On Jan. 16, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi fled Iran ; On Feb. 1st,  Ayatollah Khomeini started The Islamic Republic of Iran as its leader. <br />1982 –  PLO expelled from Lebanon, Israeli invasion of Lebanon<br />1988 –  Palestinian Declaration of IndependenceREFERENCESAbedini, R., & Wolbers, H. (2006). New Visual Culture Of Modern I