São Paulo – The embassy of Algeria in Brasília (Brazil’s Federal District) has been picked to join the Embassies with Open Doors (Embaixadas de Portas Abertas, in Portuguese) program of the local government’s International Advisory department. On September 28, the embassy will welcome students from a local public school that’s yet to be chosen who will learn a bit about the history, geography and culture of Algeria.
“It’s a way of making a bit of our country known to these students, and to encourage tolerance and respect of differences,” said the embassy’s first-secretary Chafik Kellala. Although it’s joining the program for the first time, the embassy has been visited by students before –in the lead-up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, according to Kellala.
For this edition of the project, which was officially launched last week, Algeria’s is the only Arab embassy of the twelve ones selected, but according to the Brasília government, other embassies interested in having kids visit can still apply. The goal is to introduce public school students aged 9 to 11 to the reality of diplomatic careers, and to spread awareness about the habits of people from other countries. The plan is to arrange visits to all of the 134 embassies located in Brasília.
“In order to become affiliated, embassies need to express their interest and to have dates and hours available,” the International Advisory explained via email. Schools are selected by the Secretariat of Education, and students are appointed by their schools.
In the case of Algeria, the International Advisory, it contacted the representatives of the embassy due to the close ties of the representation with the DF government. “The city of Algiers shares with Brasília a modernist tradition, since the ‘Plan Obus’, by Le Corbusier, in the 1930s, to the works of Niemeyer in the 1970s and 1980s,” explained the International Advisory.
Kellala said that the students will see a brief introduction to Algeria’s history and geography during the visit, and, after a Q&A session, will take part in cultural activities.
Based on his previous experience, the secretary said that the children will be interested, mainly, on questions about Islam and the daily lives of the Algerian people. “They are used to ask many questions on the gastronomy and education, which is almost all public in Algeria,” he added.
The Embassies with Open Doors Program was launched Wednesday (9) in a ceremony at Palácio do Buriti, with the presence of governor Rodrigo Rollemberg. Created by first lady Márcia Rollemberg, its inaugural visit will be to the embassy of Israel on Thursday (17). Gabon, Chile, Paraguay, Nicaragua, the Netherlands, South Korea, China, Vietnam, Sweden and Italy are the other embassies registered in this edition.
Other embassies interested in taking part can contact the International Advisory of the Brasília government via email at assessoria.internacional@buriti.df.gov.br.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum and Sérgio Kakitani
