São Paulo – What social, political, historical and cultural context drives thousands of people in the Middle East to flee their countries and go to such remote locations as Brazil? What are the problems these immigrants face on adapting to a new culture and society? These and other topics will be discussed in the lecture Arab and Muslim World: Social and Subjective Ties, next Tuesday (15th) at 7:30 pm at the Bank of Brazil Cultural Centre (CCBB), in São Paulo.
The event is part of debate and lecture cycle Immigrants and Refugees: Displacements in a World in Crisis, due in May, June and August. Psychoanalysts, social scientists and anthropologists will discuss issues and policies relating to refugees’ rights, and the main challenges posed by Brazilian society in this respect.
The program is curated by psychoanalyst Miriam Rosa, a doctor and professor at the University of São Paulo (USP) and at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP). The event arose out of the Migration and Culture Project (Projeto Migração e Cultura) of Laboratório Psicanálise e Sociedade, a partnership between the two universities in which Rosa is involved. For seven years now, the project has conducted research and intervention activities with migrants, immigrants and refugees.
Next week’s debate is the third event in the cycle and will feature a lecture by the director of the Arab Culture Institute (Icarabe), Soraya Smaili. The event will also feature cultural activities, such as theatrical plays and screenings of film excerpts.
On the 15th, participants will watch scenes from the movie Incendies, by the Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. It tells the story of a twin couple who learn that they have another brother, somewhere in the Middle East, after their Canada-based Arab mother dies. The young man shows no interest, but the woman sets out looking for her sibling. In her trip she finds out that her mother used to be a guerrilla, that she delivered her and her twin brother in a prison, and that their father was a torturer.
“The mother is described by the children as aloof, weird and mad. The film characterizes immigrants who have a history of violent situations and children who are unaware of their parents’ life stories. Silence is a striking feature of these types of situation,” says Rosa.
The refugees
She says the idea to promote the debate cycle evolved out of the work done under the Migration and Culture Project. “We worked with refugees from several different ethnical groups, who arrive in Brazil and engage in interaction with a different culture and a different language. We focus on forced migration, caused by violence or poverty,” says Rosa. “The event is meant to reformulate the notion of foreigner, who is often regarded as a stranger or an enemy,” she explains.
Rosa reveals that in most cases, it is hard to unearth the specific facts that forced these people to migrate, because simply telling the stories would cause them to relive painful experiences. “Whenever these people arrive at a different country, they are very suspicious because they have suffered political persecution. They don’t know who to trust,” she says. “As a result, it is difficult for them to establish new relationships, new ties. They avoid reliving strong emotions. They want to start a new life, they don’t want to pick their wounds.”
According to the professor, in Brazil, even in long-settled communities such as the Arab, Japanese and Italian ones, it is common for descendants to be unaware of the story of how their families migrated. Still, she points out a unique feature of refugees from those regions as they arrive in Brazil. “Groups with structured communities in Brazil develop ties with those communities and receive backing from them, and that makes all the difference.”
The association between the Islam, Arab people and terrorism will be another topic of debate. “In Europe and the United States, this is a terribly widespread misconception. “Based on nationality, you create the picture of a criminal. This prejudice really detracts from their integration,” she says. “In Brazil, this association is not as widespread, because we have Turks and Arabs living here in large numbers. According to the psychoanalyst, people need education and information about other cultures and religions. “Education about religious culture is very important,” she says.
Service
Lecture Arab and Muslim World: Social and Subjective Ties
May 15th at 7:30 pm
Place: Bank of Brazil Cultural Centre
Rua Álvares Penteado, 112 – Centro – São Paulo
Seat capacity: 70
Information: +55 11 3113-3651/ 3113-3652
www.bb.com.br/cultura
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
