STATESBORO —The Arabic club is an organization on the Georgia Southern campus that seeks to promote the Arab language and culture throughout GS and the surrounding community. 

“The Arabic Club is open to all GSU students,” Arabic club advisor Youssef Salhi said. “It’s not just for students studying Arabic, but also for those on campus who are interested in the language and cultures.”

Students who join the club are exposed to to events and activities that promote diversity and cultural exchange.Joining the organization also gives students the opportunity to broaden their knowledge about the Arabic language and culture.

Every Monday at 5 p.m. the organization hosts an Arabic Coffee Hour in the Interdisciplinary Academic building to discuss different topics related to the Arab world. Along with monthly meetings and Arabic Coffee Hour every Monday, the club also hosts movie nights, an Arabic cooking workshop, belly dancing workshops and more.

The Arabic club recently traveled to Atlanta to take part in the 13 annual Atlanta Arab Festival.

Taking place at the Alif Institute, the festival celebrated Arab culture with exhibitions on food, coffee and language. Six students from the GS Arabic language program attended the event, along with an Arabic language teaching assistant.

The club went in support of the annual event, and to also strengthen ties with the Alif Institute in hopes of collaborating on future projects.

The festival is becoming an Atlanta tradition, as it was attended by 5,000 people last year, according to the Alif Institute’s Facebook page.

Festival attendees enjoyed live music and performances, along with fun activities, rides and more.

“We learned about several different organizations working with different parts of the Arab-American community in Georgia,” Arabic club president Nathan Carpenter said.

You can learn more about the Arabic club and how to get involved by attending movie night with the Arabic club on Thursday Sept. 26 in IAB Theatre in Room 1020, which features a movie around Arab culture or was created in the Arab world.

Anthony Belinfante, The George-Anne News Reporter, gaeditor@georgiasouthern.edu