Sahand Sahebdivani | |
---|---|
Born | 18 May 1980 |
Occupation(s) | Storyteller musician actor |
Years active | 1999–present |
Organization | Cultural center the Mezrab |
Partner | Rasha Hilwi |
Awards | Storyteller of the Year (2014) Amsterdam Fringe Gold Award (2017) Amsterdam Prize for the Arts (2020) |
Website | https://sahebdivani.com |
Sahand Sahebdivani (born 18 May 1980 in Tehran) is an Iranian–Dutch storyteller, musician and founder of cultural center the Mezrab. [1] [2]
After the Iranian Revolution, at the age of three Sahebdivani fled with his parents from Iran to the Netherlands in 1983. [3] [4] They were originally headed for Canada, but missed their transfer in Amsterdam, which is why the family ended up in the Netherlands. [5] In his twenties he by chance got the opportunity to become storyteller at the Tropenmuseum, when another Iranian storyteller noticed his hat in the tram. [5] He became motivated to continue his parents' Iranian tradition of storytelling and music making, which is why he founded the Mezrab in 2004. [6] This started as a monthly gathering in a small teahouse, but within ten years grew into an established cultural center with a multidisciplinary programme of five days per week. [2] [7] [8] [9]
As his cultural center grew, so did his career as an artist. Together with various storytellers, actors and musicians he performs at theatres and festivals across the Netherlands and internationally. [10] In 2014 he was chosen as the Netherlands' Best Storyteller of the Year. [11] In 2017 together with storyteller Raphael Rodan he won the Amsterdam Fringe Gold Award for their play My Father Held a Gun. [12] In 2020 Sahebdivani's cultural center won the Amsterdamprijs voor de Kunst (Amsterdam Prize for the Arts) for Best Achievements. [13]
Sahebdivani played in among others the following plays and shows: