São Paulo – The reprint of book O mundo falava árabe (The world spoke Arabic), by the historian Beatriz Bissi, will be launched next June 13th in São Paulo. At the event, there will be a discussion of the beginnings of the Arab-Islamic civilization, based on the texts by historian Ibn Khaldun and traveller Ibn Battuta, major figures of the Arab World in the 14th century, who provide the foundation for the book by the Uruguayan-born writer who has been based in Brazil for 30 years.
“I have tried to gain an understanding of the Arab-Islamic civilization since its inception. Ibn Khaldun recounts the history of his family up until the aides of the prophet [Mohammed]. He was a descendent of the prophet,” says Bissio. “Ibn Battuta had Berber ancestors and was a Muslim. My thesis was an attempt to establish a dialogue between those two lines of wok. Each represents a different take of a Muslim on his own culture.”
The Moroccan Ibn Battuta lived from 1304 to 1368 and spent over three decades travelling through what are now 44 countries. “Ibn Batuta gives a minute description of behaviours habits, the cuisine… It is a precious document,” she says. “Each of these works is over 1,000 pages long, they are very dense,” says Bissio. “Khaldun is regarded as the founding father of modern sociology. Until this day, he ranks among the leading thinkers,” says the author about the Tunisian who lived from 1332 to 1406.
To her, the 14th century was a “very significant” moment for Arab-Islamic society. “It is a period in which this world feels as though it is in transition, if feels threatened by the Christians, the Turks and the Mongols, and it enters a phase of reflection and introspection, in an attempt to retrieve its legacy,” she explains. According to Bissio, at that time the Arabic language played a key role in that society, because it is the language of the Koran, of politics and books, and therefore the book’s title highlights the importance of the language.
The world spoke Arabic was released late last year as the outcome of the research carried out by Bissio for her doctorate, in 2008, at Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF). The Arabic language and literature professor at the University of São Paulo, Mamede Jarouche, who was a member of Bissio’s evaluation board, will also take part in the chat with the public, due at 7:00 pm at Memorial da América Latina.
Prior to becoming a historian, Bissio worked as a journalist for over 20 years. She covered events such as the civil war in Lebanon, and interviewed leading Arab politicians such as the former Palestinian president Yasser Arafat and the former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. Currently, she is an associate professor at the Political Science department of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).
Service
Launch of the book O mundo falava árabe
June 13th at 7:00 pm
Place: Latin-American Library of Memorial da América Latina
Av. Auro Soares de Moura Andrade, 664, Barra Funda, São Paulo
Free of charge
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
