Students for Justice in Palestine are hosting their 11th annual Raise the Kuffiyeh event Friday. Credit: Courtesy of Mohammad Ghassan
The 11th annual Raise the Kuffiyeh event, hosted by Ohio State’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, will honor the city of Gaza by celebrating Palestinian culture and identity.
Doors will open at 5:45 p.m. and the ticketed event will begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the Performance Hall of the Ohio Union, featuring live performances, student artwork and a silent auction, said event co-coordinator Mohammad Ghassan, an SJP member and fourth-year in biology.
Ghassan said the organization was unable to hold this event last year due to the war in Gaza.
“There was so much going on last year, both on campus and off campus, as well as in Gaza, so we were just kind of trying to figure out how can we hold this event with so much going on,” Ghassan said.
Event co-coordinator Miriam Saab, an SJP member and third-year in English and sociology, said this year’s event will have a slight change of tone compared to previous years.
“This year, we really wanted to emphasize that fundraising aspect and also make it more, not necessarily somber or formal, but just tone it down, kind of being conscious of [the people of Palestine] when writing the performances we’re having, so that they all directly relate to culture, and really, just honoring that tradition that has upheld throughout the last 12 years of [history of the event],” Saab said.
Live performances will be featured at the Ohio State chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine’s 11th annual Raise the Kuffiyeh event Friday. Credit: Courtesy of Mohammad Ghassan
Saab said the event’s overarching theme this year is steadfastness.
“In Arabic, the word sumud translates to steadfastness, especially regarding resilience in the face of oppression,” Saab said. “We’ve seen that in the people of Gaza, as they continue to live out their lives faced with ongoing genocide.”
Ghassan said in the spirit of resilience, he wants to emphasize the importance of cultural preservation.
“This event shows that we’re not necessarily going anywhere, and we need to continue to embrace our culture,” Ghassan said. “And as we’re being ethnically cleansed right now, it’s really important that we embrace Palestinian history and culture.”
Ghassan said this event isn’t only about celebrating Palestinian life, but educating others about it as well.
“There is an education aspect of it where we’re trying to educate people on our heritage or the history of Palestine and the culture of Palestine, and especially on this campus, after so much suppression, and with everything going on right now, I think it’s very important that we continue to educate through this event and kind of just show people what Palestinian culture is,” Ghassan said.
Tickets are priced at $5 for Ohio State students with a valid BuckID and $20 for non-student, general admission, according to the club’s Zeffy ticketing page.
Saab said SJP is also offering VIP tickets for $35, which entail a special seating section and gift bags.
More information can be found on SJP’s Instagram page.
