by MATHEW PETTI
Farrokh Nourbakht founded his restaurant Topoly in 2014 as a way to supporting cultural exchange between Iranians and Cubans
Vladimir Lenin never met the Arab music sensation Umm Kulthum or the Iranian poet Ahmad Shamlou but the three of them hang out together in Havana, painted on the walls of Cuba’s first and only Iranian restaurant.
Iranian-French polymath Farrokh Nourbakht founded Topolyin 2014 as a way to support cultural exchange.
Nourbakht is himself a jack of all trades; he calls himself an interior designer, owns a chain of Middle Eastern restaurants around the world, and acted in A Hero, an Iranian movie that won last year’s Cannes Grand Prix.
‘Our two countries have more in common than we think. They are two revolutionary people, very similar in thought and worldview’
– Ali Chegeni, Iranian ambassador
Nourbakht and his restaurant go against the grain in more ways than one. At a time when thousands of Cubans are leaving for better opportunities abroad, Nourbakht has decided to take his chances investing in the Caribbean island.
While diplomatic relations between the two countries are defined by drab official delegations, Topoly tries to nurture Iranian-Cuban ties with food and merriment.
“We’re separate” from the Iranian embassy, Nourbakht says in a mix of Spanish and Persian. “I work for myself, because the restaurant has alcohol and dancers, and they may not like that.”
However much Iranian officials may disagree with Nourbakht’s style of business, they have given him a cautious green light, and use his restaurant as a venue for promoting Iranian culture. At the grand opening of the restaurant, Iranian Ambassador Ali Chegeni gave a speech praising the “great role” of artists in consolidating relations.
“Our two countries have more in common than we think,” he noted. “They are two revolutionary people, very similar in thought and worldview.”
A shared experience of revolution
Although the Cuban and Iranian revolutions happened for quite different reasons – one is socialist, the other theocratic – the countries have had remarkably similar experiences afterwards.
For decades, the United States has attempted to roll back both revolutions with military threats and economic sanctions.
President Barack Obama offered both Havana and Tehran a chance to make amends with Washington, leading to a few years of increased trade and hope for future improvements.
The Democrat’s successor, the Republican Donald Trump, condemned diplomacy as weakness and imposed an even harsher economic embargo than before.
Middle East Eye for more