Courtesy of MENACC

In the first space of their own on campus, the Middle Eastern and North African community kicked off its Heritage Month celebrations. 

The MENA Cultural Suite at Yale and its affiliated student groups kicked off MENA Heritage Month celebrations with music and poetry performances as well as remarks by visiting alumni and students on Thursday. This year’s theme, The Mosaic of MENA: Celebrating The Region’s Diversity, “embarks on a journey to rediscover the traditions and stories that have shaped the diverse identities” of the MENA region, per the center’s Instagram post.

“I think Middle Easterners, especially right now, are highly erased, surveilled and stereotyped, and having a month where we can actively prove that wrong is super important. On top of that, the Middle Eastern region, to a lot of people, unfortunately, has become a desensitized tragedy. MENA Heritage Month does recognize the tragedy that we endure, but at the same time allows for celebration,” Fagr Aboudaka ’27 said.

The evening began with remarks by MENACC Assistant Director Lena Ginawi, who thanked the undergraduate student coordinators and other involved students for their hard work in organizing this month’s programming.

Ginawi told the News that when students take a part in organizing such events for the center, she hopes they will take into account how they are “setting a precedent for the future and making history” through their collaboration. 

In her remarks, she also expressed that MENA Heritage Month is more than just a celebration of heritage, but is also an effort to make MENA students visible on campus.

The night featured singing performances from Taban Malihi ’28, a piece played by Mustafa Zewar ’25 on the Oud, a traditional Middle Eastern instrument, spoken word by Aboudaka, and speeches highlighting the importance of the heritage month by Joe Abou-Khalil ’27 and Nour Darragi ’27. 

Aboudaka spoke about the process of choosing the two poems she performed, “Holy Tears” and “Balady [My Land],” as a reflection of the mindset she wanted to celebrate this month with.

“It took me so long to decide between the two, because one of them is truly about the oppression and the injustice that we face in this country and abroad, and that’s so important to talk about and to recognize. But at the same time, I didn’t want to take away from the fact that we’re here to be in a joyful community together. I ultimately decided to perform both, because they always exist together,” Aboudaka said.

Before transitioning into an evening of food and socializing, Yasmeen Abed ’23, the keynote speaker of the night, spoke about the advocacy efforts that helped create the MENACC and how she tried to present a stage for their concerns to the administration through her previous role as a Woodbridge Fellow at the Secretary’s Office. She explained that this month is a “testament to the power of community coming together with a shared vision.”

Liz Kairima ’27 said that although she isn’t part of the MENA community, she came to support Darragi and learn about North African and Middle Eastern culture. She wanted to better understand the distinction between North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa and appreciated seeing people like Darragi work to make the MENA community more visible on campus.

Deewa Rahim ’27 said she’s excited to see the Yale community expand what has traditionally been National Arab American Heritage Month to include the broader MENA region. She explained that MENA students are often overlooked, and widening the focus is an important step toward greater inclusion and representation on campus.

“From the student perspective, I think it’s great to see the institution taking a step in supporting and offering support to MENA identifying students by establishing a space like the MENACC. I think having a dedicated person and an inaugural staff team to take the lead into bringing this to fruition is great because now we have the resources to do so,” Ginawi said. 

Students can request to receive more information through the MENACC mailing list here.