Paabel forum to end with free Omar Souleyman concert

Estonia’s Paabel cultural forum for national minorities will conclude with a free concert by Syrian musician Omar Souleyman, ERR reports. The two-day event will take place at the Paavli Cultural Factory in Tallinn on September 26 and 27.

Paabel focuses on the cultural diversity of national minorities living in Estonia, bringing together communities, creative professionals and small businesses whose work enriches the country’s cultural life.

The forum will open on Saturday, September 26, with the Minorities/Creativities programme, involving 30 previously selected teams. Participants will develop emerging ideas and existing initiatives with the help of experienced mentors, build contacts and prepare short presentations for the following morning.

Saturday evening will feature an after-party organised in cooperation with community radio station IDA.

On Sunday morning, the Minorities/Creativities programme will continue with a competition in which the teams present their ideas to a jury. The Paabel cultural programme will then showcase food, handicrafts, music and creative work from national minority communities, offering visitors an opportunity to experience their traditions and contemporary practices.

Souleyman, who comes from northeastern Syria, has brought music rooted in the Levant’s traditional dabke line dance to clubs and major festivals around the world. He has performed at Glastonbury, Roskilde and Bonnaroo, and has previously appeared for Estonian audiences in Tallinn in 2014 and 2024.