Slavs and Tatars are proud to present Molla Nasreddin: the magazine that would’ve, could’ve, should’ve, the legendary Azeri political satire and perhaps the most important Muslim periodical of the 20th century. Featuring illustrations reminiscent of a Daumier of the Caucasus, Molla Nasreddin was read from Morocco to Iran, addressing issues-gender equality, Islam’s integration of Modernity, education, Western meddling-as relevant and urgent today for a global audience, as when first published, in the Caucasus, a century ago.
For the Dutch launch, Slavs and Tatars will present Molla Nasreddin: Embrace Your Antithesis, a discussion of the book’s historical context, a case study of complexity otherwise known as the Caucasus and the issue of self-censorship both then and now. Guests will be treated to their choice of red or white tea in a nod to the two major geopolitical narratives of the 20th and 21st centuries, Communism and Islam, respectively, between which Slavs and Tatars and Molla Nasreddin navigate.