*By Qais Shqair
On its 80th anniversary, a salute to the pioneers of the Arab League, to the Arab Brazilian community… A mission to Latin America in 1947…
The Arab League just turned eighty on March 22.
It is older than the United Nations itself, which was founded in October 1945, seven months after the establishment of the League.
For years, the League has been the target of criticism, like any other international organization. The criticism likely comes from those who desired the highest level of Arab unity and collective action, those who longed for the greater expectations of the founding fathers to overcome the Foreign Mandate Era that lasted for years in the Arab World, ultimately striving for independence, integration, and unification.
To preserve the memories of the founding fathers, those who dedicated their lives to making our dreams a reality, and the pioneers of institutional work among Arab communities in Latin America, and specifically in Brazil, an overview will take you on a brief journey into a book published in November 1950 by the great Palestinian writer and historian, the late Akram Zuaiter, titled “The Journey of the Arab Delegation to Latin America for the Cause of Palestine” (July 1947).
A review of the first mission launched by the Arab League in July 1947, ten months before the Nakba—to Latin American countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, El Salvador, Cuba, and Guatemala.
The mission aimed to explain to politicians, journalists, and all those involved in these societies, as well as to the Arab communities, the Palestinian cause, in order to gain their support and mobilize the backing of the Arab communities for Palestine, the central cause of the Arab nation ever since.
The mentioned trip will be covered by the section of the book related to Brazil, which will be presented in an article to be published in Arabic and Portuguese later this week, titled:
“The Arab Countries and Brazil: A Historical Record of Friendship Seen in the Arab League Archives.”
The article will outline the imminent work of the first founding fathers of the Arab community in Brazil; those who contributed to the establishment of solid commercial and industrial businesses, the first Arab Catholic Church, the first radio stations, along with various newspapers and magazines throughout Brazil.
The names of these pioneers would include, but are not limited to:
Bishop Aghnatios Hereikah
Bishop Nivon Saba
Father Rofael Shameyyeh
Father Ghefarel Salaibi
Fuad Safadi
Rashid Khouri, known as “the Village Poet”
Shafiq Ma’louf
Salwa Atlas (poet)
Nagib Yafeth
Yourself and Taqla Yazeji
Nazir Zeiton
Mousa Karim, owner of the magazine “Alshaeq.” Rashid Ateyyeh, owner of a Lebanese Brazilian newspaper.
Moris Shami
Henri Yafeth
Alberto Hemsi
David Naser
Rizqallah Haddad
Rashid Khouri
As’ad Abdullah
George Ma’louf
Suleiman Hafez
Salwa Mahfouz
Olga Rezqallah
*Ambassador Qais Shqair is the head of the Arab League Mission in Brazil.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
