3-Day Conference Centered On Arabs to Re-Imagine Their Home

In the three years since coming to the U.S., I had not once attended a cultural-political conference with young Arab people. My first one was a three-day event with more than 1,300 people in attendance; most of whom were between the ages of 16 and 35.

I was surprised. But, even more surprising was that this was a Harvard conference and the attendees were Arab students.

Why the high number of young attendees? Perhaps it’s because the “Re-imagining home” conference was organized by Harvard Arab alumni and students taking place at one of the world’s most prestigious schools.

I wondered what was going on with these attendees of my generation. Why were they so keen on attending 12-hour, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. sessions? The conference wasn’t for entertainment purposes but rather an in-depth discussion about re-imagining Arab countries that have been plagued with security crisis and political disasters.

Serious stuff!

What I Took Partake In During the 3-Day Conference

The 2019 Harvard Arab Conference on the Boston campus was more interesting than other political conferences in Washington, D.C. For example:

· I attended a session about the current political and security situation in Libya.

· I attended a session taking part in a meeting on the artistic and cultural impact of Arabs in the U.S. and their home countries.

· I also took part in a session about the rampant spread of diseases and health problems in the Middle East.

· I joined a session about Arab refugees and migration.

· I took part in the rights of the LGBTQ community.

· I also attended a session regarding sexual abuse against women.

Young people were selling handmade products, paintings and drawing with proceeds going to a Lebanese charity to help Syrian refugee children to continue their education. From April 5 to April 7, the audience collected a total of $20,000 that will go to these children. On top of that, 1,300 teenagers and young adults talked about the Arab situation, coming up with hopeful ideas they wanted to see happen in the Arab world.

On the last day of the event, they danced the Dabkeh, a traditional dance of Shami countries in the Middle East.

I got back on the plane, headed to Washington, D.C., full of hope and joy. I may not have had a lot of experience in organizational events, but I was astounded by the response of those in attendance and the goals they had. Many Western societies don’t know about Arab cultures because of famous dishes such as Falafel, hummus and smoking Shisha “hookah.” I believe this is unjust for their culture in the communities.

What Conference Organizers Had To Say

Dina Masri, the co-chair of Arab Conference 2019 at Harvard , spoke with me on the sidelines of the conference. She said Arabs who live in America and speak just English tend to lose their Arab values and gains. She said Arabs who live in America should continue to speak Arabic to maintain their Arab culture and values. According to Masri, identifying as Arab is the best way to bring justice to Arab narrative.

She believes Arabs in Western societies must maintain their sense of responsibility to the region and that the diaspora communities can positivist influence their home counties.

Masri said, “When you are an Arab and live in a non-Arab society, maintaining and developing your identity must be a deliberate decision, otherwise it will be lost with time and generations." She hopes conferences like the Arab Conference at Harvard will help strengthen the community by bringing together Arab Americans and Arabs in the West who are re imaging their identity in the West while working to re imagine a better future for the region.

Raja Al-Ghawai, the co-chair of the Arab Conference 2019 at Harvard with Dina, believes the conference created a real opportunity for all Arabs to discuss their concerns and aspirations under the protection of the world’s first university.

He said the Syrian refugee issue and Libya crisis were also present at the conference, which is why they want to be involved with the issues of the Arab region.

Al-Ghawai is a Syrian-American citizen, and he told me he worked with friends on an academic admission program for Syrian people. He said they’ve helped many Syrian refugees to attain academic admission to Harvard University – with seven Syrians being accepted into the school so far.

Al-Ghawai said, “Living in America, giving birth and growing up here, does not mean we should forget our country and our causes. After being the only Syrian students at Harvard University so many years ago, I can now say – with pride – that it has seven Syrian students who have arrived from conflict regions after helping them with their enrollment application.”

For my own experience, I am proud of everything I saw and experienced at the 2019 Harvard Arab Conference. I hope the audience was successful in re-imagining a better home by the end of the three-day event.