Festival patrons engaged in traditional Palestinian style dance. One of the goals of the festival was to break the negative stereotypes of Palestinians and Palestinian culture. | Aisha Bouderbaden/The Daily Couga
The unmistakable scent of flavored hookah smoke settled over Jones Plaza as loud drumbeats and fast-paced music met the ears of passers-by.
The third annual Palestinian Gala and Festival was well underway.
“The Arab-American community, for many years, has been misrepresented in American media,” said George Elhaj, chair of the Palestinian Gala and Festival.
“Most Americans have no opinion or a negative opinion. We face a very negative stereotyping. We want to show who we are and what we look like.”
Sitting on chairs and stone steps, Arabs of all descents, not just Palestinians, filled the Plaza. Men and women took turns singing on stage as large groups of people performed the dabke, a type of Palestinian dance.
“This is our attempt as Palestinian-Americans to keep our culture and heritage alive,” Elhaj said, “and expose our children to it as well as our American neighbors and friends.”
Palestinians — Christian and Muslim alike — have the desire to perpetuate the Palestinian culture, Elhaj said.
The festival did not just have cultural displays, but also had activities and booths. Vendors sold flags, books, clothes and trinkets. Other booths held activities for children, such as face-painting and henna.
One vendor, nutrition alumnae Lana Kesbeh, whose family runs a flag store on Harwin Drive, said this was her first year running a booth at this event.
Many booths were run by “self-supporting” Palestinians, said English and Spanish alumnae Marie Brignac, meaning that mostly everything that could be purchased at the festival would benefit the craftspeople and creators.
“Community-run and fair trade business appeals to me,” Brignac said. “Building and celebrating the community is important.”
Volunteers were present, collecting the entrance fee from attendees and stamping their hands.Omar Amin, a business and supply chain management senior and volunteer, said he is glad he volunteered and said he encouraged his peers at UH to attend as well and see “what Palestinian culture is about.”
“I volunteered to help a greater cause that serves the Palestinian community,” Amin said.
Elhaj agreed that UH students should take advantage of and attend this celebration of culture, no matter your heritage.
“It is my understanding that intellectual centers have a better understanding (of the Palestinian situation). UH, being an intellectual center, can help disseminate our image,” Elhaj said.
When the numbers are tallied up at the end of the event, Elhaj said he estimates the attendance to be at about 6,000.
“The three festivals have been a success,” Elhaj said. “The number is larger every year. The first year we had 4,000. The second year we had 5,000.”
Thank you for running the story on the Palestinian Festival. I wish I had gone but needed to work the weekend. Its not a surprise that the Palestinians get a bad rap in our mainstream media. There is a powerful entity behind making Palestinians seem negative. I’ve been to the Occupied Territories and Gaza and the people are kind and good. Many have very little but they are more than willing to share. Anyway, inspite of all their hardships their spirit is indomitable.