Omar Offendum: Little Syria

Set in the Lower Manhattan neighborhood once known as Little Syria (1880~1940), this genre-bridging performance — spanning Hip-Hop, Arabic instrumentation, and ḥakawātī oral storytelling traditions of the Levant — reimagines early 20th-century life in the heart of Arab-America. Just south of the current World Trade Center, this once vibrant cultural hub for New York’s Middle Eastern immigrants was home to artists and intellectuals including Ameen Rihani and Kahlil Gibran. Rapper / poet Omar Offendum, oud virtuoso Ronnie Malley and music producer Thanks Joey join together for this creative retelling of a tragically underrepresented historical narrative draws an audience attuned to stories of immigration, xenophobia, and the ever-evolving “American dream.”

Photo credit: Ridwan Adhami