An extension of appreciation through celebration and food was the goal of a Syrian cultural event held at Dalhousie University on Thursday.
“About six months ago, I got together with a few of the Syrian newcomers and they wanted to give back to the community in one way or another,” Yaser Alkayale said, a computer science student and Syrian-Canadian at the university.
Alkayale is part of the Syrian Student Society and helped organize the sold-out “Shokran Canada” event that saw nearly 500 people come through the Dalhousie doors.
According to the province, more than 4,500 newcomers resettled in Nova Scotia since the crisis in Syria erupted last year.
It’s the highest number of arrivals since the Second World War, according to the immigration department.
READ MORE: NS immigration rebounded to post Second World War levels in 2016
But many Syrians say the main images people have of their country is devastation caused by war.
They hosted the cultural night to paint a different image of what Syrian identity means to them.
“I think it’s very vital for people to not just think of Syrians as refugees but as people who are actually contributing to society and creating something good for everyone,” Alkayale said.
“Before anything [the war] happened, whenever I would tell someone I was from Syria, they had never heard of the country before, ever. Nowadays, whenever I tell them I’m Syrian, the first thing that comes to their mind is the Syrian civil war,” Wesam Jawich said, another computer science student and member of the Syrian Student Society.
Jawich says he hopes people realize there’s more to Syrian people than the war they escaped.
“I want them to see our culture, our heritage, our food, and know that there’s a really rich and colourful tradition behind our people and our country,” he said.
All proceeds from the event are being donated to the Habitat for Humanity Foundation of Nova Scotia.
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