The Student Association for the Development of Arab Cultural Awareness (SADACA) hosted their annual Dinner for Peace April 19. Unlike the last two years, where they focused on one specific country as the theme of the dinner, this year the dinner was meant to represent all the countries in the Middle East and North Africa and the struggles they are going through, from the conflict between Iran and the U.S., to the ongoing war in Gaza. President and senior Mennatallah “Mennah” Mohamed shared that this dinner was a “time to highlight how Arab culture is so interconnected.” QR codes for donations were shared during the meal, with the money going towards the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and the New York Immigration Coalition.
The event was hosted in Feldman Ballroom, with a coffee cart by Albunn Coffee House serving Adeni tea and fruity refreshers attracting a crowd of people to one corner of the room. Dinner included an appetizer course of fattoush salad, baba ganoush, hummus, and cheese and spinach pastries, followed by the main course which was braised lamb and rice as well as chickpea fatteh, and kunafeh as dessert.
On the other side of the ballroom was an extravagant exhibition curated by Ebtisam “Ebby” El-Sharkawy, a Palestinian-American artist. Her gallery, “Reclaiming Our Inheritance,” was a collection of traditional Palestinian thobes, books, jewelry, and photos, many of which she thrifted. The gallery served to connect her to her Palestinian roots and her family in Gaza.
Music was a recurring theme across the dinner, with an oud solo by visiting instrumentalist Nikolai Ruskin, who played in the past two years for SADACA, followed by a music ensemble with a clarinet, violin and cello. The two first-year representatives of the eboard, Yasmin Soufan and Katherine Fahoury, also performed a beautiful vocal rendition of a Moroccan song.
The last performance featured the Sumud dabke team, which elevated the energy of the ballroom and culminated in a dance circle filling the room, something that has become tradition for the annual dinner.
In her speech to the audience, Senior Advisor of SADACA Sarah Aljitawi shared reflections and advice for fellow students and community members. “Cultural pride is not just about [food and music],” she said, “It’s about resilience through the community.” She continued, commenting that from college, we “do not get just degrees but tools for change, to create an equitable world … The challenges we face are global, and so are our communities.” What can we do to create that world? According to Aljitawi what we must do is show up, educate, and express solidarity.
