Half of Iran’s population of 70 million was born after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. It does seem, however, that this generation is detached from the Revolution’s slogan. Even state propaganda has not succeeded in dealing with this issue.

30,000 school-goers participated in a drawing contest launched to promote one the slogans of the Revolution. One drawing with Revolutionary slogans galore won the first prize but the story behind the drawing reveals another reality.

the first prize had entered the contest with somebody else’s work: that of a young high school boy who lives in the most disadvantaged area of Tehran and who is extremely talented in drawing. He decides to participate in this contest under the name of a number of his friends in order to improve his chance of winning. It so happens that one of the drawings that he has done under the name of a neighboring girl wins the first prize of the contest: five gold coins (worth approximately USD 400). The disagreements and disputes of the two families (his and the neighbor’s), however, abort the young artist’s plans as the organizers of the contest get word of what has happened and thus decide that these contestants were not eligible to be given a prize.