Rice University Students Celebrate Arab History Month

Rice University’s Middle East North Africa (MENA) Student Association held its first ever cultural showcase event April 20, celebrating Arab History Month during Sahra Night at the Graduate Student Indoor Commons.

Sahra Night featured a fashion show highlighting the different traditional dress of each MENA country, a Palestinian-Lebanese band playing music on traditional Arab instruments and Arab cuisine. Additionally, the group’s seniors were honored and new board members were announced. MENA SA members also set up tables with items from their respective countries for display.

“Sahra Night embodies more than just a social event,” said junior Hamza Shili, president of MENA SAthe Rice MENA Student Association. “In Arabic, ‘Sahra’ signifies a refuge, a place to escape the stress of daily life through bonding, enjoyment, relaxation and, of course, an abundance of food. The immense success of our first Sahra Night paves the way to what we hope will become a cherished tradition.”MENA SA provides a support network for the Middle Eastern and North African community at Rice as well as a cultural enrichment to the Rice and Houston community at large.