On Sunday, ambient candlelight and whispers of joy filled the Newcomb Ballroom as students gathered for La Yarina, the Arab Student Organization’s biggest event of the year. Rayalina, which means “our night” in Arabic, is a formal celebration of Arab culture that shows the connections between ethnic traditions within the Arab world.
The event included skits, poetry, dance, and songs performed by first-year members. More than 150 guests dined in a decorated ballroom, making it La Yarina’s biggest show since the pandemic. ASO incorporated aspects of Egyptian, Palestinian, Moroccan, Syrian, Lebanese, Iraqi and Sudanese cultures into the event, with the aim of highlighting the nuances that make Arab culture both unified and unique. .
For Jeanine Hamdan, ASO board chair and fourth-year college student, each element of Reilina was meant to expose students to the diverse Arab community on the grounds.
“It is an event that focuses on and spotlights our culture through student-led performances such as skits,” Hamdan said, adding, “Dance performances such as dabkeh, which has a very high cultural significance in the Arab world, The highlight of the evening is usually a catered Arab dinner.
Attendees wear cultural or formal attire, many in traditional celebratory attire from their home countries. Across the ballroom, many of the non-Arab students in attendance were enjoying the opportunity to wear something new, wearing Arab clothing borrowed from friends. Hamdan emphasized that Rayalina, like his other ASO events, is open to all students regardless of their background.
“I think it is important to pay attention to the following points.” [ASO is] It’s not just Arab students,” Hamdan said. “It’s also for people who want to learn more about the culture and language. We have several members who aren’t Arab. Some have taken Arabic classes, some haven’t, but they’re just interested in the culture. It just is.”
Hamdan said events like Rayalina can change students’ perceptions of the Arab community on campus and around the world. As Arabs often drawn One of ASO’s goals for Layalina, who appears in the media in a context of war and turmoil, is to humanize the Arab language, culture and traditions, which have been misunderstood under the guise of conflict.
“I think it’s important for people to know that there is an Arab community here on the grounds and to increase interaction with students,” Hamdan said. “So it’s not just Arabs that they see. [just] What they see on the news. I think having a personal relationship with them definitely gives you a deeper understanding. ”
In one performance, students performed a dialect skit that pitted American Arabic speakers speaking an academic dialect, Modern Standard Arabic, against Arabic speakers speaking native dialects from 10 countries. . According to Sarah Tomeh, ASO social support chair and third-year university student, the performance aimed to highlight the complexity of Arabic dialects, which are characterized by a variety of accents and colloquial styles.
“The dialect skit was a very big skit that we don’t do every year, but part of the reason we did it this year, and part of the reason it’s so important tonight, is how Arabs are Because it really shows how diverse the diaspora is,” Tome said.
Liam Brennan, a fourth-year student, played a Modern Standard Arabic speaker in a dialect skit. Given his own background as a non-native Arabic speaker, Brennan explains how expressing his character brings a newfound affinity for Arab culture, especially compared to last year’s La Yarina, where he attended as a guest. I explained what it represents.
“Now, I am humbled and grateful that my involvement with ASO has allowed me to move away from sitting in the corner.” [my] Layalina was able to take center stage the first time, and the second time,” Brennan said.
The finale of the program was a performance of traditional dabkeh, a step dance, by a Palestinian group. This dance was entirely choreographed and brought to life by Palestine himself. Tomé said his group of interested ASO members spent several weeks rehearsing and developing the song before the event.
“Palestinian Dabke, that was a highlight considering everything that’s going on,” Tome said of the performance. “We’ve always respected our culture, we’ve always respected our identity, and we bring that to campus, even if we’re thousands of miles away.”
Ms. Layalina created a sense of nostalgia, belonging, and community in all participants, regardless of their background. Sanjida Sajjad, a fourth-year university student, said that although she does not attend all ASO events and does not speak Arabic, this event gave her a deeper understanding of Arab culture. She left the event with one feeling in her heart: her connection.
“[Layaleena] It creates a connection,” Sajjad said. “I feel like ASO is doing a good job in that regard. The ASO board is very close-knit and I can see that passing that on to other members.”