São Paulo – The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Mohamed V University Institute of Spanish-Portuguese Studies in Rabat, Morocco, joined forces to produce a book about the ground covered by the two countries so far. The initiative to produce the book “The Relations Between Morofcco and Brazil” came from the Brazilian Embassy in Morocco in an attempt to give more visibility to the bilateral relation.
“The idea came from noticing there is almost no works on the relations between the two countries – despite our great bilateral relation, the goodwill between their peoples, and the potential of this relation,” stated the coordinator of the work professor Fatiha Benlabbah, director of the Moroccan institute.
Available online, the book features texts by eight authors, researchers and diplomats on different aspects of the relations between both countries. The book is to be published in Casablanca in February 11 at the 25th SIEL (International Saloon of Editing and Book), the biggest literary event in Morocco. The work coordinator and the Brazilian ambassador in Morocco José Humberto de Brito Cruz will be present. They intend to hold more events for the book release in other places. There will also be a release event in the Moroccan capital Rabat, with date and venue to be confirmed. The goal is to democratize access to knowledge and stress the potential of the bilateral relations.
The texts in the book were written in Portuguese, French and English, and were translated to Arabic. “I believe our goal was met: the shared history (dating back to the Brazilian colonial period and the Portuguese presence in Morocco), the cultural and academic cooperation, the economic-commercial dimension, the view from the current ambassadors (Brazilian in Morocco and Moroccan in Brazil), and testimonies by former ambassadors, it is all in the book,” stressed Benlabbah.
On the decision to release the book for free reading online even before the printed book was published, the director explained the intention was to give the highest visibility possible to the work. “There is no commercial interest but giving more access to themes of public interest. So, in addition to being published online and in print, the book collects articles in the languages they were originally written and in their translations to Arabic,” she explained.
For the ambassador Brito Cruz, the relation between the two countries is great. He recalled that the first Brazilian consulate in Morocco was opened in 1861. In the independent Morocco, Brazil opened its embassy in Rabat in 1961 lead by writer Rubem Braga.
“There is a great understanding between our governments and our peoples. The biggest challenge is how to harness the economic, commercial and human potential of this relation. In 2018, we had a trade volume higher than USD 1.4 billion. In Latin America, Brazil is the main client and the main supplier for Morocco. There already is a goodwill between the countries and a spontaneous affinity between the peoples, but it is necessary to advance the mutual knowledge in order to make better use of those potentials. This book is an important way to do that – but not the only one, obviously,” declared the diplomat.
As an area where exchange could increase, he mentioned the example of tourism. “The number of Brazilian tourists in Morocco is already around 50,000 per year and tends to increase. Therefore, we are on our way for deepening our human ties and knowing each other better,” said the ambassador.
Cruz hopes the book will be published as a source of research about the history of the relation between the two countries. “The information and analysis brought by the book are relevant for researchers and the public to assess and understand the history and potential of the relations between both countries. Brazil and Morocco share the same Atlantic neighborhood, but it is necessary to do more in order to amplify and diversify the contact between our peoples. Both sides have a lot to gain with this approach,” he concluded.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
