São Paulo – Journalist Carminha Corrêa Jecko, from Espírito Santo, is releasing on Thursday (22), in Vitória, Espírito Santo, a book of poetry inspired on Morocco, the African-Arab country that she has visited six times. Entitled “O Despertar dos Sentidos” (Awakening of Senses), the book talks, in verse, about the men and women of Morocco, their camels and donkeys, their smells and flavours, their colours and foods. “I identify with the people of Morocco. Whenever I go there, I feel that I am returning home. The people are friendly, gentle, happy. Hardships do not matter, they are always smiling. I see much charity in them,” she said.
The poet does not have Arab roots and her story with Morocco began in 2002, when she travelled to the country for the first time, on business. At the time, Carminha was the international cooperation coordinator of the Espírito Santo state chapter of the National Service of Industrial Education (Senai), an organisation connected to the Federation of Industries of the State of Santa Catarina (Findes). In the same year she returned to Morocco, but still on business, and then again in 2006, to release a book of French poetry, at the invitation of then Brazilian ambassador to Rabat, Lauro Moreira. The other three times that she was in the Arab country, almost always in the cities of Casablanca, Rabat and Marrakech, were on tourism.
“They Moroccan way of being enchants me,” said the journalist. In her poetry, she writes about the city of Ain Sebba: “Aïn Sebba of palm trees, of stones covering the zinc roofs of human dwellings, such warmth!”. And then she writes a verse about a donkey, a common character in some cities in Morocco: “Friendly donkey, I’m always lost in time, with no olive green, with no bird a-singing”. The story of the cities of the Arab world was an object of study for the journalist whenever she developed a professional project in the region. Despite being graduated in journalism, she has almost only operated in International Relations.
Publication of book “Awakening of Senses” is independent, and will be at the author’s own expense. The work will be released in Portuguese in Vitória and later in French, in Morocco. The author’s objective is to release the book in the Arab country between January and February, but the dates and sites have not yet been stipulated. The book has illustrations by a French-Moroccan, artist Phillipe Jugnet. Born in Morocco, where he lived to the age of 12, he then moved to France and later to Brazil, after marrying a Brazilian. Jugnet passed away in 2008, one month after completing the illustrations for the book.
Married to a Frenchman, Carminha currently helps her husband run his foreign trade business, Jecko International, which is headquartered in France and operates in trade between the European nation and Brazil. The company, which was established this year, should also import products from the Arab world into Brazil.
For the time being, book “Awakening of Senses” may be acquired from the author herself and contact must be by e-mail: diretoria@cccweb.com.br. In the near future, she should make internet sales available. The release in Vitória should take place from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm, at Hotel Bristol da Praia do Canto, on Avenida Saturnino de Brito, 1075.
*Translated by Mark Ament
