São Paulo – This Monday (28th), the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce committed to preserving the Mohammed V monument, located on Praça Rodrigues de Abreu in São Paulo’s Paraíso neighbourhood. The piece is a tribute to the Moroccan monarch who ruled the country for over 30 years and became known as the king of liberation. He was the sultan from 1927 to 1953 and the king from 1955 to 1961.
In a short ceremony, the Arab Brazilian Chamber president, Salim Taufic Schahin, and the first advisor to the Moroccan embassy in Brasília, Abdeslam Maleh, unveiled a plaque with sayings regarding the site’s conservation. The Arab Brazilian Chamber has already undertaken cleaning and restoration and will continue henceforth, in partnership with the São Paulo City Hall.
“Many years ago, we were contacted by the Moroccan ambassador [Larbi Messari] and by the Moroccan consul here in São Paulo. They wanted to showcase Moroccan handicraft by erecting a small monument in the city, so that Brazilians could witness the quality of said work,” said Schahin. “So we set out to pay a tribute to Morocco, and worked to erect this monument as a display of Moroccan handicraft,” he explained.
The monument was erected in 1989 by six artisans from a tile design cooperative based in the city of Fes. The artists travelled to São Paulo and spent four months building the piece, which is made of concrete and decorated with typical Moroccan mosaic panels. The work was sponsored by the Schahin group.
Mohammed V, grandfather to the current Moroccan king Mohammed VI, was chosen to lend his name to the monument due to his importance to the country’s history. In 1956, he proclaimed the independence of Morocco, then a French colony.
“The Kingdom of Morocco and Brazil have sustained great ties of friendship for centuries,” said Hilton Peña, Moroccan honorary consul to São Paulo. “Throughout the years, this relationship has never had a contention issue. Our relations are diplomatic, commercial, and cultural,” he said.
“To me, this tribute to Morocco is a tribute to the entire Arab community,” said Maleh. “It is a tribute to an outstanding figure in Morocco. He chose democracy, openness and a multi-party system at a single-party time. This tribute is a very strong sign of how close the Arab world and Brazil are to each other,” said the advisor.
The ceremony was also attended by the Arab Brazilian Chamber CEO Michel Alaby, International Relations vice president Helmi Nasr, directors Bechara Ibrahim and Mustafá Abdouni, and members of the Arab community.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
