Review: Cosmo Coffee Hour - Palestine

by Eleanor Turek

Communications Intern

University YMCA

Photo by Eleanor Turek.

Cosmo Coffee Hour was much different than I thought it would be. I kind of expected a small group of people sitting around, drinking coffee and chatting about life for an hour or two. I could not have been more surprised when I attended the March 8^th Cosmo Hour featuring a presentation and cultural learning experience on the topic of Palestine.

The campus group of Students for Justice of Palestine presented a short PowerPoint presentation along with vibrant music and delicious traditional Middle Eastern food. Shout out to Nyro's Gyros for providing the delectable meal to everyone.

The presentation consisted of a few photographs on the geography of Palestine but most importantly, it showcased the culture of the people of Palestine. Traditional apparel, dances, music, and food were all shown as part of the presentation.

The president of the SJOP said that they want to "raise awareness on the situation in Palestine and the conflict by occupation of Israel but emphasize the culture of Palestine."

Photo by Eleanor Turek.

Treasurer Jeremiah Prichard shared a personal story about his visit to the west bank and the cultural event he witnessed that was eventually shut down by the local authorities because it was thought to be anti-Israel. That experience drew some sort of inspiration for the event.

About 45 students and community members joined together to eat food, listen to music, and most importantly culture themselves about the State of Palestine. Davide, the president of Cosmo Coffee Club for three years was present as a semi-director of the event but the Students of Justice for Palestine led the Hour and captivated the attendees with their food, presentation, and most of all their activity.

After the picture presentation came to a stop, the music started up louder and we were all asked to join in on a workshop to learn a traditional Palestinian dance, the Dabkhe. Naturally, hesitation was present for the first few moments but after a while everyone was enjoying the traditional dance.