São Paulo – The Arab Community Day in Brazil in March 25 will be remembered in a different way this year. Due to coronavirus and the need it imposed to restrict the circulation and gathering of people, the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce will hold an online campaign to mark the day instead of the previously scheduled activity, which was an Arab handicraft and popular art exhibition.
The Chamber’s president Rubens Hannun said the goal is not just marking the day but using the theme of immigration to give room to a reflection on solutions and shared paths humankind could take in a way that is far beyond national borders. He points out that Brazil, the Arab countries and other regions of the world are now doing their best to handle the pandemic and prioritize life.
The online campaign on Arab Chamber social media will trace back the history of Arabs in Brazil and their contribution for the development of several fields in Brazilian society. “The Arabs have settled in Brazil and brought their way to do business, which was an innovation. Now, they and their descendants are not only in commerce but several other strategic areas of Brazilian economy and society, such as politics, healthcare, education, engineering, arts, literature, cuisine, and many others,” Hannun says.
Brazil has become their home. “Wherever they are now, in their homes, with their families, in their companies or home offices, this Arab community, their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are living this rough time with Brazil, “ Hannun says, referring to the coronavirus situation. He points out that although the Arab Chamber has taken several steps to help contain the virus, such as remote work and the cancellation of travel and visits, it will not stop working through this period to keep Brazil-Arab ties and trade from becoming stagnant.
The online campaign starts next Sunday, March 22, and runs until the following Sunday, March 29, addressing immigration, cuisine, literature, architecture, and other topics. “As we couldn’t hold the event, the Arab Chamber decided to remember it online, giving bits of information on the Arab culture and immigration in Brazil,” said the Chamber’s cultural director Silvia Antibas.
In the social media, Antibas will give an idea of how the Al Aiyadi exhibition will look like, which open as soon as the coronavirus issue is over and circulation in Brazil goes back to normal. “Al Aiyadi” is Arabic for hands and the name refers to the handiwork of the artists that made the pieces in the exhibition.
The pieces in the exhibition are gifts that the Arab Chamber received throughout its history, and they showcase the popular art of the 22 countries they represent. “We curated them to show the diversity of that world. Although they all speak the same language and many have the same religion, these peoples have their own traits and these art pieces show these traits, the geography and nature,” Antibas says.
March 25 was chosen as the Arab Community Day as a reference to the street of the same name in the city of São Paulo, where the first Arab immigrants settled down and established their stores. The street and its surroundings remain a retail area until this day.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
