Stephen Hannawi, masters student at Oakland University, is adding an ancient tongue to the eight languages you can learn at OU through his Chaldean language workshop. Founded last fall and meeting twice a week, the workshop teaches how to read and write in a language that is more than five millennia old.
“I started doing this when I learned Chaldean when I was eight [years old] in my hometown,” Hannawi said. “Because there was demographic change, the government was taking our lands and giving them to the majority, so the language was getting diluted and I had made a vow at 13 to preserve it.”
Chaldean is a language spoken throughout Syria, Iraq, Iran and Turkey. It traces back to Mesopotamia with religious and cultural relevance for many in the Metro Detroit area.
Recognizing the different levels of language proficiency throughout the Chaldean diaspora, Hannawi started a workshop that could accommodate native speakers, second-generation learners and people who had never heard of the language.
“Our families are moving from mostly Iraq, that’s where most of us Chaldeans come from,” Selenah Saka, clinical diagnostic sciences sophomore, said. “As the young kids are being born here, they’re learning more English, which, of course, is good. They need to learn English, but our Chaldean language is also important.”
Students attending the workshop explained how many Chaldeans in the area do not have much of an opportunity to practice the language outside of the home, even less in academic fields.
“We both don’t have that opportunity to go on into the world and just meet people and speak Chaldean with them,” Saka said. “So when we got this opportunity to come to the class and actually learn how to write and read and everything, it was nice.”
A strong community presence of Chaldean students was one of the factors that helped the workshop get on its feet. Free resources were the second one.
“I really liked how he’ll teach us writing and reading, because nowadays I feel like you have to pay money for those classes,” Rotana Sabri, a sophomore student, said. “Everything you have to pay money for and the fact that he’s offering it for free, is really nice.”
The workshop came at a time when some students were looking for more involvement on campus and a revival in their culture.
“It’s kind of funny, because we were talking about how we want to get involved and stuff, but we didn’t know how to and it’s kind of like God heard us and then brought us Stephen,” Sabri said.
For many students, learning how to communicate with their peers and family is the end goal of attending the workshop, which emphasizes fostering a community at OU.
“Heritage is a nice thing to know,” Sarah Kenetha, a sophomore student, said. “Instead of doing a DNA test, having to ask people and not knowing where it is, here you’re just around people that are from the same place that you are and it’s easier to connect with them. It’s easier to find your roots.”
After being featured in local news outlets and Michigan-based Chaldean media, like TV Resurrection and Ave Maria Catholic radio, Hannawi hopes for his initiative to take root at OU.
“I would like to make this Chaldean class an official four-credit [class],” Hannawi said. “I want to continue the workshop, because it’s free and has zero barriers and I want this org to continue. When I graduate, I want this to continue.”
