Spoleto’s Exploring Omar discussion series is a free companion to this year’s new opera | Spoleto Buzz.

On Thurs. March 12 head to the Main Library at 6 p.m. for: Islam and Enslaved Africans in Early Charleston. Brenda Tindal of the International African American Museum moderates a discussion between Charleston County Public Library’s historian Nic Butler and The New Schools’ professor Hussein Rashid. This year the city celebrates 350 years, which makes it an apt time to discuss all of the city’s history, including the influences of enslaved Africans on the introduction of Islam to the Lowcountry.