A World to Experience

With the looseningof immigration laws in the 1960s, the promise of America became available to morepeople than ever. The years that followed changed the faceand flavorof thecountry, even in cities such as Milwaukee.Many of those new immigrants poured in from the Arab-speaking Near East. Untilthe ’60s, Milwaukee’sArab Americans were numerically insignificant and largely descended from LebaneseChristians who settled here before World War I. The influx of new arrivalsadded to our city’s richness. Thirty years ago there was only one MiddleEastern restaurant in town and hummus was unknown outside ethnic households.Now a half-dozen restaurants serve falafel and hummus is sold in supermarkets.

The 1998 debut ofArab World Fest was a sign of the rising local prominence of a people whoseglobal importance was overshadowed by lack of understanding in the United States.Old stereotypes lingered of Bedouin and desert sheiks. Few Americans understoodthat while medieval Europe was an impoverishedbackwater, the Arabs, drawing from Greek and Persian art and knowledge, as wellas their own resources, had established one of the great civilizations. In thoseyears the population and wealth of Damascus and Cairo dwarfed London and Paris. Much of theworld’s trade passed through Arab lands. The Arabian influence extended intoEurope and left a distinct mark on the language and music of Spain and Portugal.

“The mission [of thefestival] has stayed the sameto foster a better understanding of Arab peopleand our rich heritage,” says Ihsan Atta, president of Arab World Fest.

While all of theethnic groups represented by annual festivals on the Summerfest groundshistorically suffered from prejudiceeven Milwaukee’sGermans were harassed in World War Inone of the lakefront events faced achallenge as great as Arab World Fest. The fourth annual festival was scheduledto begin within days of Sept. 11, 2001.

“We skipped 2001,”Atta says, adding, “Arab World Fest became a place to learn about who we are.People realized that the behavior of a few fanatics doesn’t represent a wholeculture. We received a lot of responses from people who said, ‘We didn’t knowwhat to expect, but we had a great time.’”

And Arab World Festpromises a great time this year. The three-day schedule is crowded with musicand dance. On the contemporary edge are rap and hip-hop acts such as ShadiaMansour, Lowkey and Bird & Sharif the Truth. Several youthful singers willperform in more traditional styles, including Palestinian-born Maher Halabi andDamascus-born songbird Gaida. Music from related cultures will also be heard,including Assyrian singer Sargon Youkhanna and a bhangra group representing thecontemporary dance music of India.The 20-member Jordanian troop Al Ramtha will perform folkloric dances. Bellydancers will also be on hand. “We cover all bases and age groups,” Atta adds.

SharingArab Culture

Several of Milwaukee’s Middle Easternrestaurants will maintain booths at the festival. Cooking demonstrations, ahookah tent and a market are among the attractions. “There will be manydisplays relating to Arab people and Arab contributions to civilization,” Attasays, along with poetry readings and screenings of documentary films. “It willbe an information overload for people with any questions about the Arabpeople.”

Given the importanceof family in the tradition of the Near East,there will be many children’s activities, from arts and crafts to storytellingand bouncy houses.

One of thechallenges facing Arab World Fest is the diversity of the world it encompasses.More than 20 countries can be defined as Arab, based on language, culture andhistory. “The intention of the festival is to represent all of themor atminimum, all the regions,” Atta explains. “We put a call out to all thedifferent communities. We contact all the embassies for information andbrochures. We diversify the entertainment. We do what we can to get arepresentation from everyone.”

Arab World Fest runs Aug. 6-8 on the Summerfestgrounds. For schedule and details, go to www.arabworldfest.com.