São Paulo – This month, a festival in several South American and Arab cities will feature presentations and debates about the culture of the two regions. The 4th South American Festival of Arab Culture is held annually by Bibliaspa, the cultural arm of the Summit of South American-Arab Countries (Aspa). This year, the festival will run from March 18 to 31.
The upcoming edition will cover cities such as São Paulo, Diadema, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Curitiba, Porto Alegre and Santana do Livramento, in Brazil, in addition to Rivera, in Uruguay, Buenos Aires, in Argentina, Santiago, in Chile, Beirut, in Lebanon, and Fez, in Morocco. The festival’s schedule was chosen in order to celebrate March 25, the Day of the Arab Community in Brazil, which is in turn a tribute to the namesake commercial street in São Paulo.
The program includes a dancing class-show at Centro Cultural Diadema, on March 20, with ballerina Bottoso, during which part of the “Crendices…quem disse?” show, whose soundtrack includes Arab-influenced music, will be performed. Also in Diadema, on the 27th, flutist Flávio Metne, a professor at Damascus, Syria’s High Institute of Music, will play a concert. He will perform with the Diadema Jazz Symphonic Band, also at Centro Cultural Diadema.
São Paulo will host a Backgammon and Taule workshop, two widespread games in the Arab world, on March 23, with Marcelo Aith. The Bibliaspa headquarters will host a debate on the wearing of the hijab, the Islamic veil, on March 27. In Rio de Janeiro, Colégio Estadual Amaro Cavalcanti will feature an Arab calligraphy show from March 18 to 31, and Colégio São Vicente will show Arab poems during the same period.
The program is diverse and lengthy, ranging from screenings of films by Arab filmmakers, art shows, storytelling, workshops on Arab and general culture, music concerts and dance performances, lectures, and even a circus show. On March 23, Circo Escola Diadema (the Diadema Circus School) will present a show based on the Eastern world, making reference to the Arab colours, movements, and culture.
For further information go to the festival’s blog:
http://festivaldaculturaarabe.wordpress.com/
4th South American Festival of Arab Culture
March 18 to 31
Bibliaspa – www.bibliaspa.com.br
Email: [email protected]
Information: +55 11 3661 0904 – +55 11 98562 9923
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
