Life-sized, black and white photos line the walls, depicting the violence and turmoil that took place exactly 30 years ago this week in Iran.
An American flag burns in front of the U.S. embassy, thousands of demonstrators chant in the streets, a child soldier fights in the Iran-Iraq war – these historical moments were all captured by former Canadian Press photojournalist, Peter Bregg, whose work is currently on display at the IX Gallery.
“It was the most intensive assignment of my life. It was difficult, I was living in an oppressive society. It was very oppressive. I was always worried about something happening to me.”
And, rightly so. During his six-month stint, he and fellow CP journalist, Doug Long, survived an abduction at gunpoint, a car rollover, as well as threats of expulsion from the country.
“I was 31 at the time, so I felt like I was invincible,” said Bregg.
He and Long were among the very few Western journalists left covering the revolutionary tide in Iran.
On Nov. 4, 1979, 66 Americans were taken hostage after a mob of mostly university students stormed the U.S. embassy, 52 of them were held captive for 444 days.
That same year saw the Shah Reza Pahlavi leave his throne, and replaced by “Supreme Leader,” Ayatollah Khomeini.
“The crisis had begun,” reads one of the photo captions. And judging from his collection, Bregg was immersed in it all.
Pointing to a photo he took when 52 Americans safely landed in Algiers, “I remember being so relieved because they were coming home. And I was coming home.”
“When I finally got home, it took months for me to go back to normal, it weighs you down, and for months, I wasn’t myself,” he remembers.
Former Canadian ambassador to Iran, Ken Taylor, was in attendance. Taylor had famously hidden six Americans at the Canadian embassy in Tehran and at his residence. A poignant photo of him briefing reporters in 1980 hangs on the wall.
The 30th Anniversary, as well as the ongoing rioting and violence stemming from the Iranian presidential election this summer, gave him all the more reason to share his photos and his personal stories.
“It’s a look back at history. It’s interesting to look at all that happened 30 years ago, and then look at what is happening today and see so many young people who were born after the revolution, fighting back.”
The “Hostage: the 1979 Crisis in Iran” exhibit will run until Nov. 28. There will also be a Q&A session with Bregg this Saturday from 2-4pm. [rssbreak]
