A new cultural centre called Ibraaz is opening on 15 October in a historic Grade II-listed mansion at 93 Mortimer Street in London's Fitzrovia. The multi-disciplinary art space, entirely funded by the Kamel Lazaar Foundation, debuts with Ibrahim Mahama's installation *Parliament of Ghosts*, featuring colonial furniture and plinths evoking Ghana's past. Founded by Lina Lazaar, the venue includes a bookshop, café, screening room, and a library-in-residence by the Otolith Group, and will host talks, performances, film screenings, and exhibitions focused on global majority arts from a North African, Arab, and Muslim-adjacent perspective.
This opening matters because it creates a permanent physical home for Ibraaz, which began as a digital venture after the Arab Spring, and aims to foster open dialogue on urgent issues at a time when freedom of expression is increasingly threatened. By centering diasporic and global majority voices, the space positions itself as a courageous platform for 'necessary conversations,' potentially influencing how private institutions can support underrepresented cultural narratives in London and beyond.