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I fucking hate Marjane Satrapi and I fucking hate Persepolis. Imagine writing a graphic novel "to combat Western stereotypes" about your homeland and then putting nothing but Western stereotypes in there. That thing about giving plastic "keys to heaven" to young soldiers to encourage martyrdom is insane level of bullshit. What else? Did they also fly to Iraq on a fucking carpet? Literally never happened, you will never find anything about it written in Farsi, it's all Israeli and diaspora bullshit. The concept of keys to heaven itself isn't even Islamic, for fuck's sake, it's Christian, how stupid do you need to be to fall for this? The fact that allegedly Satrapi learned it from her parents' SERVANT should already make you side eye her. Do you have a servant? I do not. The keys bullshit was disproved even by a guy who worked for BBC, and BBC isn't known for its great nuanced perspectives on the Middle East.

The claim of her being a native informant and therefore reliable is so laughable. She was an upper middle class Tehrani from a leftist secular family with access to Western culture and the funds to send her to Vienna. She went to an elite French school. Is this supposed to be a universal Iranian everygirl? Before the revolution, only, like, 3% of the population had college degrees. She's representative of less than 3% of the population bc not even other rich kids of that era universally love her. Would you consider a woman with Mar-a-lago face a universal American everywoman? Why not?

She called Shi'a rituals fake and insincere but never criticized US/Israel as an existential threat to her homeland, how US sanctions devastate ordinary Iranians, US military interventions and what Israel is doing both in Gaza and Lebanon. But do you know WHAT she criticized? French visa policy, because poor, poor children of Tehrani rich shits can't immigrate to Western Europe so easily.

Her book is such a typical post 9/11 jerkoff material for people with white savior fantasy, I just can't. Off course, everybody religious in Iran is grim and depressing and rude, the veil is oppressive and the Western culture and attire are so, so liberating. Everything about Islamic government is terror, misery and stagnation. She's like "Please, US, bomb my country, but do so in a cool, progressive and feminist way". Btw did you know that Iran now has more women with STEM degrees than US or any European country?

Satrapi's political position is pure delulu. She said she rejects East-West binary and thinks that the only conflict is the conflict between fanatics and everyone else. Did fanatics steal Iranian oil? Did fanatics hang signs "Entry of dogs and Iranians prohibited"? Did fanatics bring both Pahlavis to power with a coup?

Persepolis is nothing but flimsy ideological justification for US military intervention and agressive foreign policies in the Middle East. Even other Iranians living abroad think that it's bullshit, please consult Hamid Dabashi and Roksana Bahramitash. The ones not living abroad will be even less kind with their criticism.

Known as “The Captain” and “The Mother of the Nation,” María Remedios del Valle (c. 1766–1847) distinguished herself in the struggle for Argentina’s independence. Her courage and self-sacrifice earned her a place as a national heroine.

A free woman of Buenos Aires

A free woman of African descent, María was born in Buenos Aires between 1766 and 1767. Due to the racial and social prejudices of the time, her freedom afforded her little more than physical mobility. At an unknown date, she married and had two sons—one biological, the other adopted. She also had daughters, though little is known about them.

In 1810, Buenos Aires took its first step toward independence from the Spanish Empire. María was among the women who joined the fight.

On June 20, 1810, she left Buenos Aires with her family, following her husband and sons on a military expedition into the interior provinces led by commander Bernardo de Anzoátegui.

The Captain

María and her family took part in several military campaigns in Potosí (present-day Bolivia). She served as a soldier, spy, and nurse. After her husband and sons died in battle, she continued fighting. She played an active role in two major victories in northern Argentina: the Battle of Tucumán (September 24, 1812) and the Battle of Salta (February 20, 1813). It was during this time that soldiers began calling her “The Mother of the Nation.”

Observers praised her courage, selflessness, and generous spirit. She cared for the wounded and sick, washed and mended clothes, fought in battle, and suffered six serious bullet wounds. She also engaged in espionage to foment uprisings. According to one testimony, she was “in competition even with the bravest soldier,” and her contributions were appreciated by all.

As a result, she was promoted to the rank of Captain. During the Battle of Ayohuma, she was joined by her two daughters, and carried jugs of water to the soldiers as long as the gunfire lasted.

After the defeat at Ayohuma, María was captured by the Spanish for aiding prisoners in their escape. She was harshly treated and publicly flogged for nine consecutive days.

The fight for a pension

María’s whereabouts after Ayohuma are largely unknown, and the remainder of her military career is shrouded in obscurity. In 1826, she petitioned the government for a pension. Argentina’s highest-ranking military leaders supported her request. Though initially denied, María persisted. In 1828, she was promoted to the rank of Sergeant of Cavalry, and in 1829, her name was included among the senior military staff.

In 1830, she was officially granted a pension corresponding to the rank of military commander, which she received until her death on November 8, 1847.

Thanks to the efforts of various organizations, María’s legacy has been revived in recent years. In 2013, the Argentine government established the “Day of Afro-Argentines and Afro-Culture” in her honor. A monument was erected to commemorate her, and her face now appears on the 10,000 pesos banknote.

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Further reading:

Guzmán Florencia, Edwards Erika Denise, “María Remedios del Valle, Nineteenth-Century Argentina”, in: Ball Erica L., Seijas Tatiana, Snyder Terri L. (eds.), As if She Were Free, A Collective Biography of Women and Emancipation in the Americas

Mitrovich Valentina, “María Remedios del Valle, la capitana de la patria"

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