São Paulo – A fair will feature food, handicraft, decoration items, clothing and other typical items from over 100 countries in Brasília, the federal capital of Brazil, next Saturday (28th). The 11th International Embassies Fair is organized by the wives of heads of diplomatic missions in Brazil, most of them ambassadresses. The participating diplomatic representations include ones from 17 Arab countries.
The event’s proceeds will go to Brazilian charities. Raising funds for initiatives that plea for donations from embassies throughout the year, by the way, was the goal in creating the fair, said the press coordinator of the Brazilian chapter of the Heads of Mission Spouses Group (HMSG) in Brazil, Maria João Ribeiro Telles, the ambassadress of Portugal. Some projects get funding in more than one edition of the fair, depending on their features and needs, while other donations are one-time-only, for topical actions that are part of social projects.
The number of recipients has not been defined yet, because the proceeds will cover pleas made in late 2015 and some of 2016, up until the next edition. The cash from last year’s edition has gone to 21 projects so far, according to Telles. One of them is Mão na Massa (Portuguese for Hands-On), in the Federal District city of Gama. The project supports women who were former drug addicts living on the streets. They now work at a Mão na Massa bakery.
Another recipient was Centro de Defesa dos Direitos Humanos Dom Oscar Romero, a human rights defense center in Paraíba state that helps boys living in high-risk situations, and the project Teto (Roof), which builds wooden houses for favela dwellers. The HMSG built five homes. “Brazil has welcomed us so well, so this is a way to give back,” Telles says of the country’s reception of the diplomatic community living in Brasília.
Each country is responsible for how it is represented at the fair. Some bring donated items to sell, others produce their goods, and others still bring them over from abroad, among other strategies. Cuisine is one of the event’s strong suits. “It’s a way for people to go around the world, so to speak,” says Telles, remarking that all five continents will be represented. The number of embassies involved has increased a lot, from around 40 last year.
The Arab countries in this edition will be Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Tunisia, Syria, Oman and Sudan. The Lebanese ambassadress Sanaa Tabbara is the chairperson of HMSG. Brazilian Federal District handicraft will also be featured, since the event is a partnership between the Secretariats for Tourism, Culture, Sports, Education, and Promotion of the Federal District Government.
The fair will also feature cultural presentations, including dance and music performances. A Lebanese belly-dancing show is scheduled for 3pm. The fair will run from 9am to 6pm at Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha (the local national stadium). Tickets can be purchased onsite or in advance (see points of sale on the event’s website; link below). The organizers are expecting at least 20,000 people to attend.
11th International Embassies Fair
Saturday, November 28th, 2015
From 9am to 6pm
Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha
Asa Norte, Brasília – Distrito Federal
Website: www.feiradasembaixadas.com.br
Information: +55 (61) 9601-1916
Tickets: BRL 10 (adults) BRL 5 (children aged 5 to 12)
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
