Arabic culture encompasses the diverse and ancient traditions, beliefs, ethnicities and languages of the 22 countries, or member states, that make up the Arab League. The Arab states stretch from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Sea and from the Mediterranean Sea to the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean with a combined population of about 422 million people. The Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities wants to celebrate that vast culture and its population represented here in Northern Virginia with the daylong American Arabesque festival.
“Arabesque is an intricate style of design that creates beautiful repeating geometric or calligraphic patterns. It is an Arabic style of ornamentation often used in architecture and art,” says Rosemarie M. Esber, the event’s organizer and a researcher and writer who has documented Arab history and culture and served as a consultant to the U.N. and the World Bank. “American Arabesque refers to the Arabic cultural expression in the American context.”
Preparation for the event began back in May, and Esber says that the interest and response from the exhibitors, the Arab embassies, musicians, artists and the local Arab-American community has been very enthusiastic.
“The Embassies of Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Palestine, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia and the Arab League Delegation to Washington, D.C., graciously accepted the invitation to participate in the celebration of culture,” she says. “Their presence is a wonderful opportunity for Alexandria to foster future cultural and economic collaborations.”
The event will feature performances by Alexandria’s Poet Laureate, Wendi R. Kaplan; the Foty Fusion, a well-known local musical family; Huda Asfour, a biomedical engineer and musician; and Samar Najia, a Palestinian-American poet—to name a few. The Oman Library at the Middle East Institute will also sponsor a majmars (frankincense burners) painting workshop for children.
There will be a variety of Arabic cuisines from local Egyptian, Lebanese, Jordanian, Palestinian and Saudi Arabian restaurants. Local artisans will sell handcrafted items, including Palestinian embroidery, Moroccan ceramics and Yemeni and North African silver jewelry. Proceeds will support Palestinian, Syrian and Yemeni refugee projects.
“‘Ahlan wa sahlan’ is a traditional Arabic greeting meaning ‘welcome,’” says Esber, “We are throwing open our doors to the City of Alexandria to share our cuisines, music, traditions and arts and crafts, which we treasure..”
Esber says the local Arab community is excited to share its culture and traditions with the rest of Northern Virginia, and she hopes American Arabesque will become an annual event. The festival takes place Dec. 3 at the Durant Arts Center in Alexandria from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 per person. Children under 5 are free.
