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The Mezrab is a cultural center in
The Mezrab was founded by storyteller and musician Sahand Sahebdivani in 2004. As an Iranian refugee he wanted to continue his parents' tradition of Iranian music and storytelling. It started as a gathering in the family's living room and grew into a monthly storytelling evening in a small tea house. Through the years the gatherings became more frequent and the Mezrab moved to various locations to keep up with its growth. In 2014, a crowdfunding was organized to move to the former location of music cafe ''Pakhuis Wilhelmina'' at the Veemkade, which has since become the fixed location for the center. In that same year the Mezrab Storytelling School was founded by Farnoosh Farnia and Raphael Rodan, and the team was expanded with Rogier Lammers as the music programmer and Karl Giesriegl as the creative director. Since then the Mezrab has a cultural program of over 300 events per year, with in addition to storytelling, music concerts, open mic evenings, dance, theatre and comedy. As most of its programming is in English, the center has become a popular destination for the international community of Amsterdam.
The website of the Mezrab
The website of the Mezrab Storytelling School
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
focussed on storytelling
Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing narrative, stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatre, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cul ...
and multidisciplinary performing arts
The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. P ...
. In 2020 the center won the ''Amsterdamprijs voor de Kunst'' for Best Achievements. Next to storytelling it is a podium for music, dance, comedy, and a storytelling school.
History
The Mezrab was founded by storyteller and musician Sahand Sahebdivani in 2004. As an Iranian refugee he wanted to continue his parents' tradition of Iranian music and storytelling. It started as a gathering in the family's living room and grew into a monthly storytelling evening in a small tea house. Through the years the gatherings became more frequent and the Mezrab moved to various locations to keep up with its growth. In 2014, a crowdfunding was organized to move to the former location of music cafe ''Pakhuis Wilhelmina'' at the Veemkade, which has since become the fixed location for the center. In that same year the Mezrab Storytelling School was founded by Farnoosh Farnia and Raphael Rodan, and the team was expanded with Rogier Lammers as the music programmer and Karl Giesriegl as the creative director. Since then the Mezrab has a cultural program of over 300 events per year, with in addition to storytelling, music concerts, open mic evenings, dance, theatre and comedy. As most of its programming is in English, the center has become a popular destination for the international community of Amsterdam.
Name
The cultural center is named after thePersian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
word for plectrum
A plectrum is a small flat tool used for plucking or strumming of a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick and is held as a separate tool in the player's hand. In harpsic ...
(see Mezrab (plectrum)
A ''mezrāb'' or ''miżrāb'' (from ), also known as a ''zak͟hma'' or ''zak͟hmeh'' (), is a plectrum which is used for several Iranian and Indian string instruments.
For sitar, a mezrab is worn on the finger of a sitar player. It is a plect ...
), as it is ''Prizes
In 2020 the Mezrab won the ''Amsterdamprijs voor de Kunsten'' (Amsterdam Price for the Arts) for Best Achievements. The jury motivated their choice as follows:''"Mezrab is a unique cultural center for storytelling, a warm home for many Amsterdammers. It is a breeding ground where people come together to create, perform, tell, listen and engage within an open community. (..) Mezrab contributes to keeping the ancient art of storytelling alive in a contemporary and hybrid way. The jury is impressed by the accessibility and warmth of Mezrab as a cultural Foundation. Mezrab manages to create an international ambiance, in a local context. They organically create a sense of inclusivity, solidarity and involvement with its audience and the artists. The jury finds it inspiring how Mezrab has been making an authentic and colorful contribution to our city for years in a sustainable way."''
External links
The website of the Mezrab
The website of the Mezrab Storytelling School
See also
*Storytelling
Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing narrative, stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatre, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cul ...
References
{{coord, 52.3760, 4.9276, type:landmark_region:NL, display=title Performing arts venues in the Netherlands Music venues in the Netherlands Theatres in the Netherlands