São Paulo – The event Life treasures: aromas, flavors and art brought by Arab refugees will take place on November 5 in São Paulo. The goal is to build rapport between Brazilians and refugees from Palestine and Syria.
“I see how hard it is for them to settle in because of issues such as language and social interaction,” says the event’s curator Maria Nilda dos Santos. After 13 years working with an organization involved with Arab culture in the city of São Paulo, Santos decided to keep striving to help refugees adapt in Brazil.
She says that on arriving in Brazil, Arab refugees will often join other Arabs because of the language they share, but integrating with Brazilians is a more complicated issue. “People are very curious about refugees, but they won’t approach them and speak,” Santos points out.
In order to encourage that interaction, the event next week will feature a typical lunch. A traditional dabke dance performance; a screening of an Arab film; sales of typical items; henna tattoos; and a musical performance by refugee artists Ola Alsaghir and Salam Al Saied.
Another interesting feature will be a roundtable talk on refugee employability in Brazil. “The trend is to employ refugees in minor positions, but many of them are skilled, and it is important to take advantage of the best they have to offer,” says Santos.
Over ten Syrians and Palestinians will be there to answer the questions of Brazilians attending the event.
Quick facts
Life’s treasures: the aromas, flavors and art of Arab refugees
November 5, 12 pm to 8pm
Where: Casinha 161 – Rua Professor João Marinho, 161, Paraíso (near metro station)
Tickets: BRL 20.00 (food, handicraft and henna tattoos are charged separately)
Find out more at http://migre.me/vmEYN
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
