São Paulo – Discussing migrations and solidarity between Latin and Arab peoples is the central theme of the first edition of the Arab Latinos! Conference, which opened on Tuesday night (22) and runs until this Thursday (24) in Aracaju, the capital city of the Brazilian Northeastern state of Sergipe. The meeting is organized by the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies (CEAI) of the Federal University of Sergipe (UFS) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The conference stems from the Arab Latinos! project, created in 2022 by UNESCO, to strengthen ties and map the cultural dialogue between Arabs and Latinos. The project was launched on August 22, 2022, in São Paulo, at the headquarters of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC), an event sponsor.
The schedule includes cultural presentations, such as the Arab-Northeastern concert held on Tuesday (22) evening after the opening ceremony (pictured above), the panels “Arab Latinos!: Migrations & Displacements” and “Memory, territory, and cultural rights” and the workshops “Arab presence in Brazilian music,” “Arabic-Latin cinema” and “Arabic-Latin literature,” among other sessions. Brazilian samba singer-songwriter Martinho da Vila will be honored in a special session when he will receive an honorary degree. Among the guests at the event are Palestinian filmmaker Kamal Aljafari and Brazilian writer Ana Maria Gonçalves.
The vice president of International Relations of the ABCC, Mohamad Mourad, highlighted the importance of the meeting in investigating and discussing the Arab presence in Latin American culture. “There are nuances of this culture in Latin America; after all, we are talking about at least a century and a half of immigration. [The event] is also an attempt to create more intimate links between these peoples,” he said to ANBA after participating in the meeting.
Quick facts:
For more information (in Portuguese): https://www.unesco.org/pt/articles/1a-conferencia-internacional-arab-latinos-sobre-migracoes-e-solidariedade?hub=68184
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
