News from Berlin

Islam is Part of Germany. Poetry Slam in Berlin

August 20th, 2014
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News from Berlin - Poetry Slam is an artistic competition, in which artists recite their own works. The cultural concept has been invented in the United States during the 1980s, after which it has spread all around the globe with great succes.

In 2011 two young Berlin students, Youssef Adlah and Younes Al-Amayra, came up with the idea of a new form of Poetry Slam, one that would give young talented muslims the opportunity to express their views on differing social, political or religious topics on stage: i,Slam. The main objective of the i,Slam project is to create a platform for Muslim creativity, as well as to encourage mutual respect between all religions worldwide. Every participant is treated with respect and appreciation, and verbalisms or personal insults are not allowed.

The first ever i,Slam took place in Berlin in 2011, and attracted an audience of over 350 people. Since then, i,Slam has travelled to many different cities all over Germany but still regularly returns to its home town Berlin.

After three years of success, i,Slam has succeeded in reaching out to the German Muslim community, as well as to the general public. By now, more than half of the Muslim ‘Slammers’ are women, an astonishing feat. Also, new projects such as I slam – We slam! allow non-Muslims to perform as well, and have helped to foster interreligious dialogue and mutual understanding.

News from Berlin - Berlin Global