Published by Edition Çà et Là, Paris, 2021
At 30 years old, Shaghayegh Moazzami left Iran for Canada through a marriage of convenience. In Haunted, she talks about the many difficulties she faced growing up in Iran—at school and even within her own family—that led her to leave the country. But after arriving in Canada in 2016, she still didn’t find peace. The strict religious and cultural rules from her childhood continued to affect her.
One day, all that pressure took shape in her mind as an imaginary old woman, very religious and conservative, who started to haunt her. This woman would criticize her for living a Western lifestyle and scold her every time she did something that would be considered wrong or shameful back in Iran, like riding a bike, smoking, or drinking alcohol as a woman.
Haunted is an honest and personal story. It gives a glimpse into the mind of a young woman struggling with anger, inner conflict, and a life that feels far from what she wants. Through her story, Shaghayegh Moazzami shows how people in Iran, especially women—still face huge pressure that can stay with them for life.
Published by Edition Çà et Là, Paris, 2024
In an autobiographical narrative moving between past and present, Shaghayegh Moazzami recounts the hardships and small victories that made her the woman she is today.
February 2021, in the midst of a global pandemic. Shaghayegh, an Iranian woman who has been living in Montreal for five years, is suddenly ordered to evacuate her apartment while alleged safety issues in her building are resolved. The building, located on Ridgewood Avenue, has just been bought by a shady company that is pressuring tenants to leave. Most of them refuse and decide to stand their ground.
For Shagha, who does not speak French, the ensuing legal proceedings—complicated by social distancing measures—are exhausting. Having gradually rebuilt her life after fleeing an oppressive country, she once again finds herself in a state of deep instability, triggering anxiety and painful memories. A few sources of comfort: drawing, Ben and his steadfast friendship, the warm atmosphere of the Iranian grocery store where she works, support from social workers and some neighbours, including one who tells her that in French, Shaghayegh translates to "poppy."
On January 8, 2020, Ukraine Airlines flight PS752, en route to Montreal via Kyiv, exploded shortly after taking off from Tehran airport, in the midst of a crisis between the United States and Iran. On board were nearly 180 people, all of whom died in the crash, including 145 Iranian or Iranian-Canadian citizens. Among them was Shadi, a young Iranian woman living in Toronto who had returned to Iran to celebrate the New Year and was about to marry Nima, the son of Touka Neyestani and nephew of Mana Neyestani.
Shadi’s family and friends, including Shaghayegh Moazzami, were devastated by the news. Very quickly, doubts about the cause of the crash began to spread, and it soon became clear that, despite the regime’s denials, it was the Iranian military that had fired two missiles at the plane.
In a powerful and moving account, Touka, Mana, and Shaghayegh each recall the story, their relationship with Shadi, and how the Iranian government's behavior during the incident reflects the regime’s extreme opacity, unrelenting paranoia, and the threat it poses to its own people.
