São Paulo – The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce is celebrating its 60th anniversary this Monday (2nd). To celebrate the date, the organization is preparing a book which tells its story and explains its role in commercial and cultural ties between Brazil and Arab countries. Written by the historian Silvia Antibas, Câmara de Comércio Árabe Brasileira – 60 anos will be released in November.
“The Chamber was born out of a spontaneous movement from Arab descendants; it was not established by any government. It was a spontaneous act by businessmen of Arab descent, aiming not only to promote trade, but also to be a bridge with the Arab countries in a country which welcomed them so well,” says Antibas.
To write the book, she interviewed former presidents, vice presidents, directors and employees, in addition to reviewing documents and minutes from meetings. The author also used a former book on the history of the Arab Chamber written by herself in 1998. “The Chamber has grown a lot in terms of activities, it has created a highly professionalized management with specialized departments,” she writes.
The organization was established in São Paulo in 1952 as Syrian-Lebanese-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, and was also named Syrian Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, before it adopted its current name in 1975. Most of the Arab community in Brazil is originally from Lebanon and Syria.
To Antibas, the history of the Chamber can be divided into two different periods: before and after the year 2000. “Before 2000, the Chamber played the very important role of being the only non-government source to provide information and issue figures on trade with Arab countries,” she claims. “After 2000, the information volume increased so that the Chamber’s role turned to summing up the information to help people focus on their trades,” she explains.
Now, the author claims, in addition to fostering trade, the organization has new goals. “The Chamber has a stronger focus on culture now. It is backing more culture- and tourism-related activities, which I think is important. It is a matter of conveying an interesting image of the Arab peoples,” she says.
Political ties with the Arab countries have also grown over the last decades. “The Chamber took part in the establishing of closer ties with Arab countries through Brazilian foreign policy,” she says. The administration of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, from 2003 to 2010, during which Brazilian exports to Arab countries went from US$ 2.76 billion to US$ 12.57 billion, a 355.5% increase, also marked a turning point in the organization’s history. “The Chamber grew accordingly, not only in business volume, but also as a partner of the Brazilian government,” she says.
She highlights important activities throughout its history. “Business missions were also important in the history of the Chamber. Early on, in the 1970s, these were much harder to organize, and yet the Chamber promoted them. Now, it is much easier,” says Antibas.
Communication is another area which gained importance within the organization. “In the past we did not have ANBA (the Brazil-Arab News Agency) and the Arab Brazilian Chamber TV. The Chamber focused on distributing important information and showing a positive image of the two sides, from Brazil to the Arabs and from the Arabs to Brazil,” she says.
Antibas cites two other important facts, one from the 1970s and the other from the 1990s. “The Chamber played a very important role in the 1973 oil crisis, when it helped the Brazilian government negotiate with the Iraqi government to help out with the crisis,” she says. “Another relevant moment was when the Arab Brazilian Chamber joined the General Union of Arab Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, in 1992,” she says.
The author
The holder of a degree in History from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP), Silvia Antibas with a specialization in Museums from the University of Avignon, France, and worked as a director of the Museum Heritage Preservation Unit linked to the Secretariat for Culture of the State of São Paulo.
Of Lebanese descent on her mother’s side and Syrian on her father’s, she took a special interest in the history of Arab immigration to Brazil, gave several lectures and exhibits on the matter, and specialized in researching the history of different Arab organizations in the country, such as the Mount Lebanon Club, the Syrian Sport Club, the Orthodox Women’s League, and the Antioquia Society.
Regarding her relations with the Arab Brazilian Chamber, she explains that her father, textile businessman Fatala Antibas, attended the organization’s first meetings. She started writing her second book on the organization in November last year. “The book is important because it sums up the entire history,” she says.
The book, which is being proofread, will have approximately 180 pages and will be released in a trilingual edition: Portuguese, English, and Arabic. The print run will be 3,000 copies, which will be distributed to the Chamber’s board of directors, embassies, consulates, and members of the Arab community.
Read below an excerpt from the publication, about recent facts:
In 2011, the Arab Brazilian Chamber had to adopt an energetic stance in order to address another acute phase of the world crisis. It posted positive figures, particularly if we consider that the challenges were overcome in a year in which the Brazilian currency appreciated strongly, and social protests erupted in some Arab nations, the so-called “Arab Spring.” The economic crisis in the United States and Europe caused investors to increase their caution, as they sought alternatives to their expansion and new market strategies once again. The worsening of tension in the developed economies even further highlighted the importance of emerging markets, thus strengthening ties between Brazil and the Arab countries.
Given these circumstances, the Arab Brazilian Chamber had to reinvent its strategies in order to keep the trade volume stable between the regions: it increased the number of talks, seminars and presentations in various Brazilian cities to showcase the region’s sales potential, highlighted opportunities in other markets, and emphasized that in spite of political crises, commercial activity continued to grow. Promoting and attending events was also important, as was the continuation of meetings with heads of state, politicians and diplomats. In fact, the indicators reveal that the growth trend in flow of trade is sustained. The increased trade volume proved that both Arab governments and companies have identified the Brazilian economy as having great potential. In the last few years, the supply of Arab products and services has grown across countless segments, such as organic chemicals and fertilizers.
Immediately after the inauguration of president Dilma Rousseff, Antonio Patriota, Brazil’s minister of Foreign Relations, and Fernando Pimentel, the minister of Development, Industry and foreign Trade, visited the Arab Brazilian Chamber headquarters, clearly reaffirming the commitment to developing relations between Arabs and Brazilians.
Celebrations
As part of its 60th anniversary celebrations, the Arab Brazilian Chamber released a commemorative Postal Service postmark and stamp, in a ceremony held at São Paulo’s Legislative Assembly.
In November, in addition to releasing the book, a commemorative dinner will be held for members of the Arab community in Brazil.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
