Saturday November 14, 2026
Ford Community & Performing Arts Center
15801 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48126

Blending hip-hop, Arabic instrumentation, and oral storytelling traditions,
Little Syria reimagines life in the Lower Manhattan neighborhood once
known as Little Syria (c. 1880–1940).

Omar Offendum is a Syrian American rapper, spoken word poet, and theatrical storyteller with a unique ability to draw in audiences from diverse backgrounds and generations through his signature blend of hip-hop and Arabic poetry. He’s been named a Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Fellow, an Arab America Foundation “40 Under 40” award recipient, and was selected to perform at over a dozen matches during the FIFA World Cup festivities in Doha. His recent foray into theater with the off-Broadway hit production Little Syria has earned him a spot in The Public Theater’s distinguished “New York Voices” commission program, while selling out multiple runs at iconic venues across the United States. After spending 17 beautiful years in Los Angeles, Offendum currently resides in New York with his wife and two children, while forever daydreaming about the jasmine tree-lined streets of Damascus.