Kawaakibi Foundation is sponsoring New York Narrative's (NYN) 'Remembering Little Syria: The First Arab Americans' walking tour, in New York City.
Time and date: 11am - 1pm, Saturday 17th August 2024
The walking tour will be led by local historian and NYN founder Asad Dandia, alongside our executive director Ahmed Gatnash, exploring what is known today as Manhattan’s Financial District, which was once home to the first Arabic-speaking community in the United States. Known as the “Syrian Quarter” in the late-19th century, this area became the mother colony of the Arab American diaspora.
The first Arab immigrants to the United States cultivated a vibrant cultural hub of businesses, houses of worship and communal life in Little Syria. Kawkab America, the first Arabic language newspaper in the US, was printed in this area in 1892, and it was in this area that the Linotype machine first began using Arabic characters, revolutionising Arabic language journalism all over the world.
On this walking tour, Asad Dandia and Ahmed Gatnash will retrace the footsteps of these communities and situate them within the wider history of both New York City and the Arab world. Themes like colonialism, immigration, race, diaspora literature, urban development, religious freedom and cultural exchange, will be discussed, amongst more.
This tour will end with a lunch in cafe near the World Trade Center (TBC) and an informal dialogue with Kawaakibi Foundation on the state of the MENA region today.
Please note that the cost of lunch will be per individual, and will not be covered by the organisers.
Limited slots available, sign up here.