Sacred Heart University’s Isabelle Farrington School of Education will present a screening of “The Bakhtiari Alphabet,” a documentary on nomadic pastoral life and education in Iran, on Friday, November 6, at 7:00 p.m. A question and answer session will follow the film. The event will take place in the Schine Auditorium at Sacred Heart University, 5151 Park Avenue, Fairfield. Admission is free. For reservations contact sedighc@sacredheart.edu or 203-365-4717.

Directed by Reza Ghadiani and Sacred Heart University Associate Professor Cima Sedigh, this film follows the Bakhtiari tribe, a nomadic community in Iran. It provides cultural insight and engaging issues related to the challenges of educating children in a nomadic community.

“In a world where we sometimes experience fear of ‘the other,’ this film shares a different perspective that we need to see. Peace in the world can come through education, understanding and respecting one another. This film helps us take a step toward that end,” said Dr. Shirley A. Pavone, assistant professor of Psychology at SHU.

“The Bakhtiari Alphabet” was created over the course of 7 years in the remote and mountainous regions of Iran, where the Bakhtiari live and migrate. Over that time, Dr. Sedigh lived with the nomadic tribe anywhere from a few weeks to a few months each year, studying their geography, history, economy, politics and culture. The film reveals both the struggle and humanity of this rapidly disappearing culture.
 
This event is sponsored by Sacred Heart University’s Isabelle Farrington School of Education. For more information about “The Bakhtiari Alphabet” visit http://faculty.sacredheart.edu/sedighc/.

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