A Night of Culture
Celebration is a highlight of the year-long Chaldean Story series
By Cal Abbo
The Chaldean News and Chaldean Community Foundation hosted a “Culture Night” to celebrate and showcase Chaldean culture.
More than 200 people attended the event, many of whom were not Chaldean. The guests enjoyed traditional Chaldean foods like potato chop and geymar, among others.
“What struck me most was observing the number of people present from outside the Chaldean community,” said Alex Lumelsky, the Creative Director of the Chaldean News and a key organizer of the event. “There was a good balance of people from within the community and people of other backgrounds who seemed genuinely curious about the culture.”
The event marked the end of a months-long grant series called the Chaldean Story. Last year, the Chaldean News received a grant from Michigan Humanities’ Great Michigan Stories, which is meant to highlight untold stories in Michigan.
A few minutes after the event began, Omar Jarbo stepped up with his zurna and his drummer, Wesame Matlub. The bright and playful music inspired a group of attendees to break into traditional Chaldean dance, usually seen at weddings, called the Zaffa. This was further enhanced when sisters Caitlyn Hakim and Carly Hakim Babi brought out their traditional Chaldean clothes and began teaching dance moves to the crowd.
Another popular feature was Helen Kassab’s breadmaking table. She and her squad showed each step to making traditional Chaldean bread. Guests watched with wonder and were able to eat the bread after it was made.
The Chaldean Community Foundation put together a table featuring trinkets from the culture. It showed various pieces of visual art, mini sculptures, maps, and other items related to the culture.
The event also featured a photo booth by Nashwan Taila of Picture Perfect Mirror Booth, in which guests could dress up in traditional clothes and take fun photos with their friends. Afterward, they received the photo via text message and printout.
Guests were treated to Turkish coffee brought right to them. Dheyaa Kabo walked the room, asking patrons to try a shot of his delectable creation, showing off his creative pouring method that the guests seemed to love.
Zofia Walska Haney, who is not Chaldean, attended the event because she was curious about the Chaldean culture. She moved to the metro Detroit area only a few years ago from her home country of Poland and has already made a few Chaldean friends. Ever since she first learned what a Chaldean person is, she wanted to experience the culture herself.
“I was so excited to experience the Chaldean culture that my friends were talking about,” she said. “I loved the vibe and it felt really authentic. The food and dancing were my favorite parts.”
Several local dignitaries also attended the event, including State Rep. Mike McFall, State Rep. Tom Kuhn, Macomb County Commissioner Don VanSyckle, Judge Douglas Shepherd, and Sterling Heights Police Chief Dale Dwojakowski. DJ Joe Sesi provided live music before and after Jarbo’s performance.
Weam Namou and Zina Lumelsky attended to represent the Chaldean Cultural Center at another table, offering their wisdom and showing off the vast resources and archives of the CCC. Next to them, guests could get their name written in Sureth by CCF Jumhoria Kaskorkis.
Namou spoke at the event. “While most people know that writing was invented in ancient Mesopotamia,” she said, “they don’t know that the first recorded writer was a woman from that region. Enheduanna was a princess, priestess, and the first writer in history who signed her name.”
For Chaldean News Editor Sarah Kittle, seeing her name in the language was one of the coolest things there. “I was impressed by the number of young children,” she added, “and how excited they were for the music and dancing.”
The celebration continues as the 20th anniversary of the Chaldean News moves forward.
