Arab American Activism
IN CELEBRATION of Easter, Ramadan and Arab American Heritage Month, the Palestine Foundation held a traditional maamoul baking day on April 9 for members of the Mawtini Choir and their families. After more than a year of practicing together remotely, the children’s choir couldn’t wait to jam and cook in person. Parents and grandparents in this Los Angeles County, CA Arab American community are passionate about passing along their music, language, food and holiday cultural traditions.
The Mawtini Choir is a joint children’s project of the Palestine Foundation and SAWA, a Southern California Arab American mothers group. The choir is directed by Sami Asmar with the participation of world-class music instructors Hasan Minawi, Souhail Kaspar and Nasser Musa.
The maamoul baking social event included Lenten food and sweets prepared by participating Christian and Muslim families for iftar, the fast-breaking dinner during Ramadan. The children, aged 4 to 14, made buttery semolina dough and sweet date paste for the cookies. Then, they selected their favorite decorative molds and tweezers and got to work while chatting and giggling, to the delight of watching parents, each recording a video, of course.
Following the baking, the children shared their cookie creations, just like families do around the Arab world. Lily Karam, Palestine Foundation president, proclaimed, “these maamoul cookies are the best and most flavorful cookies ever made because they were made by our children.”
During the event, California-based Palestinian author of children’s books, Wafa Shami, joined virtually and read her book, Easter in Ramallah, (available from Middle East Books and More) to the attentive and fascinated children.
No traditional Arab event is complete without music, and given that this was the Mawtini Choir, there was plenty of talent. The group enjoyed performances from children beaming with smiles and energy as they prepared for the next in-person concert.
—Lily Karam and Sami Asmar
