In a first for Oak Lawn Community High School, Yemeni students shared their rich culture and heritage with the public during a special night designed just for them.
Their Arab friends whose families hail from other countries joined in on the show of history, dance, poetry, cooking and clothing.
Younis Mohamed, a junior who emigrated from Yemen with his family at the end of 2019, said it was good to dispel any negative myths and highlight the positives about his birth country.
“This would make them understand Yemen better,” Younis said, as he stood in front of one of the interactive stations with detailed information and pictures about the country.
He did the station work with fellow student and senior Elena Emleh.
Mohamed Badr, read Yemeni poems — “My Town is My Home” and “Peace from Yafaa” — he wrote during an introduction to the night.
Then he was at another station with his school partner Sarah Alsheikh, a junior. For the exhibit, the two did an intricate design of a tree of Yemen and Arab genealogy.
“It’s important because you need to understand other nations than your own,” Badr said.
Alsheikh was a host for the evening and did a presentation of Yemen and significance as a country in “the south of the Arabian Peninsula in the continent of Asia and bordered to the north by Saudi Arabia, to the east by the Sultanate of Oman, to the south by the Arabian Sea and to the west by the Red Sea.”
The evening was organized by Arabic teacher Marwa Elmasry, her students in Arabic 3 Honors Class and members of the school’s Arabic Honor Society Club. Elmasry said Yemen is one of the 22 Arabic-speaking countries students study in her classes that she plans to help highlight. The school has celebrated Palestine and will next do Sudan.
“I want to thank Yemeni students for their huge effort for this night,” said Elmasry. “As you can see, this is a diverse group of students but working in harmony. It shows us we can be one loving family.”
Aisha Amer, a freshman, who came with her mother, Fiezah Amer, said she really enjoyed the evening
“I like that it shows the traditions because not a lot of people know them,” Aisha Amer said.
Her mom said it was good to show the variety of Arab cultures, noting Yemeni is one of the lesser known.
“It’s important to know we are very similar but different,” she said. “Yemen is very well known for poetry … and their Arabic is one of the most authentic Arabic languages that hasn’t been diluted by other languages.”
One of the more popular interactive booths was Henna painting. Sisters Yosra Saleh, an eighth grader at Simmons Middle School, and Fardos Saleh, a sixth grader there, both had their faces painted. Their brother, Nasser Saleh, a junior, attends Oak Lawn Community High School.
“I think it teaches people new things about new cultures,” said Yosra Saleh, who like the rest of her family is Yemeni. “I don’t think many people know about this one.”
Though Sujood Abukhroub, a junior, isn’t Yemeni, she proudly displayed information about the country and its people while in “full dress.”
“They’re also basically our country,” said Sujood.
Principal Lauren May said it was an important event.
“I think it’s really special to be expanding out the number of different cultures,” May said. “Just to kind of create community. They’re really great kids and families.”
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
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