One Thousand and One Journeys

Co-presented with ArteEast

Doors 7:00p
Program 7:30p
Tickets $12

UnionDocs
352 Onderdonk Ave
Ridgewood, NY

We’re delighted to partner with ArteEast to co-present ONE THOUSAND AND ONE JOURNEYS. The program traces the history and legacy of Arab-American migration across the United States. Borrowing its title from Abe Kasbo’s sweeping documentary, this program follows the layered journey of Levantine migration in America that began in the late 19th early 20th centuries and continues today.

From establishing the enclave of Little Syria, to peddling goods to remote areas, to settling in various states across the country, the films show us how early Arab immigrants shaped the landscape of now thriving communities in major cities. Through documentaries from a variety of perspectives and locales, this program explores the stories, contributions, and ongoing realities of Arab-Americans, painting a rich portrait of the diversity of Arab identity and how it continues to shape contemporary cultural life in America.

In Beirut on the Bayou (2022), Lebanese author, Raif Shwayri, travels to Louisiana to trace the life of his grandfather who once worked as a peddler serving the Cajuns on Bayou Lafourche. Alfred “Sweet Papa” Nicola spent nearly two decades, in the early 20th century, selling his wares to the French-speaking melting pot that was developing on the edge of civilization. His years of traveling to these isolated villages would eventually, and surprisingly, lead to substantial aid for tens of thousands of disabled and impoverished children in Lebanon. This film celebrates the rarely told story of early Arab-American immigrants and includes never-before-seen 16mm footage of South Louisiana and Beirut from the 1950s, as well as rare photos of early Cajun life. It also features an original Arabic score and a cover of a Cajun classic using Arabic instruments.

A Thousand and One Journeys: The Arab Americans (2015), from which this program borrows its title, is a documentary offering a broad historical lens on Arab migration to the U.S. It follows the formation of early communities such as Little Syria in lower Manhattan, the rise of peddling routes that took immigrants deep into the American South and Midwest, and the ways Arab Americans built lives, businesses, and cultural networks across the country. The film grounds the program in a foundational national history while highlighting New York City as one of the earliest and most significant sites of Arab-American settlement.

The films will be followed by a talk on the history of Little Syria in lower Manhattan with Linda Jacobs scholar & author of Strangers in the West: The Syrian Colony of New York City, 1880-1900. 

This program is collaboration with curator Nanor Vosgueritchian and is part of ArteEast’s Unpacking the ArteArchive series, which highlights curated selections from the ArteArchive, ArteEast’s film and video collection in dialogue with contemporary voices. The full program, including additional films and a recorded discussion with filmmaker Abe Kanso, will be presented online on artearchive.org from April 13–23.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Beirut on the Bayou by Brent Joseph
2022, 28 mins.

A Thousand and One Journeys: The Arab Americans by Abe Kasbo
2015, 20 min excerpt

Program Duration: 48 mins