Dabke

If you really want to get a sense of how far Arabic culture has penetrated South America, then look at this Dabke line in what looks to be Buenos Aires.

This was Argentina’s Bicentennial Day in 2010.

Yet, they deemed it appropriate to have ethnic Arabic Dabke dancing for the festivities. Notice the blond at (0:14), possibly a German-Argentine.

Posted on YouTube: May 24, 2010

Clearly, not all these people are Arabic; but it shows how far Arabic culture has penetrated into Argentine life.

May 8, 2017: Edited – Had to change video. The original dabke video was taken down, but it was not hard to replace with another video, which again shows how common dabke is in Argentina. The poster of the video is Argentine.
January 16, 2025: Edited – Added date to video. Changed from page to post format.

Salta, Argentina is a resort town on the Argentine side of the Andes. It is in the subtropical Northwest of the country, and is famous for nearby cactus, which resemble our Arizona Saguaro.

What it is also famous for is a noticeable Arab community.

For an idea of what Salta is like in total:

The area around Salta is subtropical, arid and dry and resembles the climate of the Mideast the Arabs had left. So many Arab immigrants settled in the area.

Wikipedia: Salta

However, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the arrival of Italian, Spanish and Arab immigrants, particularly Syrians and Lebanese, revived trade and agriculture all over the area while further enhancing the city’s multicultural flavor.

Notice however that much of this immigration is over a hundred years ago. We are looking at 3rd and 4th generation Argentine-born citizens. They may be monolingually Spanish now, but they kept the culture.

Latin Arabia

Bicentennial Dabke

Dabke in Salta Argentina