The month of March highlights the University of Wisconsin’s return of Middle Eastern North African Heritage Month. 

“Through the Eyes of MENA” is sponsored by the Multicultural Student Center and focuses on creating a safe space that allows for reflective conversation and reminders of home. 

UW junior Dana Tabaza is the Multicultural Student Center’s first-ever MENA cultural programming intern and was the driving force behind the return of MENA Heritage Month to the university.  

“In advocating for MENA cultural programming, I was motivated to address the lack of representation and recognition for Middle Eastern North African students on campus,” Tabaza said in an email statement to The Badger Herald. “As an identity group that has been placed on hold for years, MENA students deserve the space to celebrate the richness in their stories and cultures and create a home away from home.”

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Tabaza sought to create a month that celebrates the history, beauty and richness of Middle Eastern and North African cultures and to develop something that will continue annually for years to come. 

“The Palestinian Plate,” held on Monday night at Union South, featured a night of cooking with chef Abeer Najjar. Najjar is a chef, food writer and entrepreneur from the South Side of Chicago. Born to Palestinian immigrants, her cooking reflects her family’s heritage and her upbringing in a city. 

The event was a collaboration between the MENA Heritage Month Planning Committee and the Wisconsin Union Directorate Cuisine Committee. Najjar taught attendees how to cook “college kid style” msakhan and facilitated a conversation about Palestinian food and culture.

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Tabaza noted at the end of the event that about 20% of the students who attended are MENA, and the rest are students that are just curious and there to learn. 

“My goal is that our campus takes away the importance of representation and celebrating diversity,” Tabaza said. “I hope that from joining the MENAHM celebrations that our campus gets to experience the joy of celebrating each other and to truly see the difference it makes when students get to learn from and share their stories with one another.”

The next event, “Dancing with the Dabke Stars,” will take place March 8 and will feature a Dabke performance and dance lesson. Other future events include “MENA Music Monday” and “Comedy Night with Zaid Fouzi.”

The full schedule for the month can be found on the MENA Heritage Month website.