Mother Rajab’s Advertisements

Mother Rajab’s Advertisements are humorous ads that Mother Rajab wrote for her son Rajab, published in the Etemad Melli newspaper and later in the Irandokht weekly, and for some time in the Pek-e Sabz weekly. These satires were published up to the last issue of those publications, i.e., before they were banned from further distribution, in the form of one- and two-frame ads. Rajab’s advertisements mostly addressed current topics, and by reviewing them, one can understand the historical progression of a period. They reveal a path outside official platforms and reflect the everyday lives of ordinary people. Naturally, understanding some of them requires knowledge of contemporary political and social events. The identities of Mother Rajab and her son Rajab were never known. Mother Rajab insisted there was no difference between her son Rajab and other children. There is no information available about Rajab and his mother.