The College of Europe Arabic Society organized the Arab week between 11 and 15 April 2016 at the Bruges campus of the College of Europe in partnership with the Council for MENA affairs – ForMENA.
The countries represented were Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and Syria. It was a great opportunity for students to share cultural insights with the College community.
Monday April 11: Arabic Language Café
The kick-off event of the week was a language café where Moroccan tea, Lebanese red and white wine from the Bekaa valley, as well as Syrian sweets were served. The tea was made in traditional Moroccan teapots and served in fine Moroccan tea glasses, (kindly provided by RYAD restaurant in Hoogstraat 32, Bruges). Traditional Arabic music was played and people had the opportunity to learn Arabic words and write them on a flipchart in order to get familiar with the alphabet and the calligraphy.
Wednesday April 13: Arab lunch
The lunch started with the traditional “Harira” soup from Morocco whose reputation has gone beyond the country’s border. For the main dishes, people had the chance to taste a chicken tajine with lemon and olives while the vegetarians had the opportunity to try falafels and hummus. The salad bar was filled with Lebanese fattoush which is always refreshing even in cold Bruges! Finally, Syrian/Lebanese desserts were served, namely halawat jebn and baklawa that proved to be very popular. Arabic music was also played in the canteen to complement the Arab spirit of the lunch.
Thursday April 14: Oriental night
The Chop’Inn bar of the College of Europe welcome the oriental night where people were offered Lebanese beverages: red and white wine, as well as Lebanese Arak. Following the tasting, the dance floor was shaken by contemporary Arabic music that people enjoyed despite of the heavy rain that could have discouraged students to join.
Friday April 15: Movie Screening: « Et maintenant on va où? »
The CinéClub organized the screening of this great movie by Lebanese film maker Nadine LABAKI, about coexistence between Christian and Muslim communities.