Loading ...Concert marks 40th year for Arab Cultural Institute
A special anniversary will be celebrated tomorrow, Sept. 26, as the New Jersey Arab Cultural Institute commemorates its 40th anniversary on the radio.
The ‘Arab Caravan Show’, which is sponsored by the Institute, has been airing on Seton Hall University radio WSOU, 89.5 FM, since September of 1975, according to one of its founders, Clifton’s own John Obeji.
There will be a benefit concert at Seton Hall’s Jubilee Hall on the 26th, starting at 8 p.m. Virtuoso Simon Shaheen will perform with his ensemble. Tickets are $25 each.
Obeji recalled, with pride, how the show first gained its roots some 45 years back.
“The genesis of the show actually began in 1970,” said Obeji, whose full time work is as a chemist. “At the time, we were affiliated with St. Ann’s Church in Woodland Park, and wanted to help immigrants, mainly from Syria and Lebanon. We didn’t have much money, so we would generate income by showing movies at the church. It was a way of getting people together, to provide communication, as well as a health fare.”
According to Obeji, trucks from St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center would come to St. Ann’s to provide basic health care for the local residents in those early days.
Obeji, along with Father Albert Ghourayeb, the pastor at St. Ann’s at the time, Dr. Philip Kayal, John Azar and Victor Kattak were instrumental in beginning the New Jersey Arab Cultural Institute some 45 years ago.
Five years later, Kayal, a professor emeritus at Seton Hall University, suggested the New Jersey Arab Cultural Institute apply to have a slot on the University’s radio station.
“We’ve been on the air from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sundays since 1975, as the Arab Caravan Show” said Obeji. “We’ve been broadcasting community news and activities that are coming up for the residents, as well as other useful information that can help the residents, such as tax preparation.”
Of the original five members who founded the Institute, Obeji noted that Ghourayeb has since passed away while Azar, himself a priest, now resides in Georgia.
“We are non-sectarian and no longer affiliated with St. Ann’s,” said Obeji. “But it’s important for people to know where we got our start. There’s no politics associated with our show, it’s informational, to provide help.”
Obeji migrated to the United States as a young man in 1959 and a year later, moved to Clifton. He’s been living here ever since.
“I actually started college at the University of Miami,” said Obeji. “But in 1960, I moved to Clifton and attended college at Fairleigh Dickinson (in Rutherford, where he earned multiple degrees). I’ve never left.”
Obeji also noted that Daher Shaarawy, Houda Ismail and Nora Wassef are part of his team today that keeps the radio show vibrant.
Saturday’s anniversary concert promises to be memorable. According to the biography on his website, Simon Shaheen’s music has been recognized world wide, with a mix from tradi-tional Arabic sounds to jazz and Western classical styles. His soaring technique, melodic ingenuity, and unparalleled grace have earned him international acclaim as a virtuoso on the ‘oud and violin.
Shaheen is one of the most significant Arab musicians, performers, and composers of his generation. His work incorporates and reflects a legacy of Arabic music, while it forges ahead to new frontiers.
Source: www.northjersey.com