On August 17, Maayan Nidam will host the second Open Culture Lab, a series of open-air musical meetups celebrating cultural diversity. This particular edition will focus on Iranian music and artists.

Open Culture Lab is an arm of The Open Music Lab, a non-profit collective based in Berlin, Germany that offers free music workshops committed to including and supporting refugees, asylum seekers, people who identify as female*, non-binary and LGBTQI+, and people of color. The series, hosted by Nidam, was launched on July 20 with a program that focused on African musical heritage and culture, featuring a discussion panel with Yoyaku’s Tracy Bakala, RISE promoter Mista Wallizz, and Berlin-based artist Ukai Ndame. There was also a music production workshop by South African artist Floyd Lavine.

The second Open Culture Lab will be centered on Iranian music and artists. It will include a music workshop with N​amito, who will speak on his creative process; a panel with D​orsa Ahari,​ Hesam Ayat, and ​Afsun Moshiry, who will discuss how they are bringing Iranian culture into their creative processes; an exhibition featuring art pieces and photographs from Iran by Dorsa Ahari, Ali Nazarian, and Nikjoo Azadi; and Iranian music curated by Payman Farahani.

Those who wish to attend the event in Berlin can register here and a location will be confirmed via email. Due to the nature of the event and its limited capacity, preference will be given to people who identify as female*, non-binary, or LGBTQI+, and to refugees, asylum seekers, and people of color.

You can check out a selection of photos from the first event below, taken by Bill Patrick. Meanwhile, read William Ralston‘s long-form profile of Nidam here.