São Paulo – “What if you had to cross seas and entire countries on your own?” The debate about the urgent reality of refugee children is the common thread of some of the events in the official educational program of the 17th Paraty International Literature Festival (FLIP), to run from July 10 to 14 in Paraty, Brazil. There will be two boat rides followed by a staging and a chat about the children’s book Amal e a viagem mais importante de sua vida (Amal and the most important trip in her life) by Carolina Montenegro.
On Friday (12), a boat ride at 9 am will have “The most important journey in her life,” starring the Syrian-Palestinian actress Oula Al-Saghir (pictured, L) reading a text about journeys written by the playwriter Helena Cerello. The 30-minute ride will be followed by a staging of the book “Amal” at Biblioteca Comunitária Casa Azul at 10 am. In the end, there’ll be a chat with Al-Saghir and Miguel Panchioni, public information associate at United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which backed the book.
“I believe there’ll be many rich debates, with children, teenagers and adults. We’ll talk about the refuge theme with a broach approach and also about Brazil as a receiving country, the dilemmas and hardships of refugee people, demystifying some of the prejudices against them, fighting xenophobia and showing that most of these people are highly skilled and have a lot to contribute to a plural society such as Brazil, with their inspirational stories and cultural richness,” Paschioni told ANBA. This is his first time in a chat about the book. He will also be at the boat ride.
Simultaneously to the boat ride, which is subject to availability, there’ll be a walk leaving Central Flipinha to the library at 9:30 am, with actress and director Lívia Camargo (pictured above, R). At the library, Oula and Lívia will tell stories together. The script adapted from the book was written by Isabel Malzoni, who is also the book’s editor.
On Saturday (13), the staging followed by the chat occurs at Central Flipinha at 2 pm at the Matriz square. All the events are free to attend.
A fictional piece based on actual events, Amal tells the story of a 12-year-old girl who lives with her grandfather in North Syria and, when the bombs start falling, Amal has to leave the country on her own to meet her uncle and aunt in Italy. She passes through Turkey and Greece until she arrives at her final destination and meets other refugee children from countries such as Afghanistan, Somalia and Senegal, and talks with a Brazilian journalist. Find out more about the book here.
The book came out in São Paulo in March and is freely downloadable in an app version on iOS and Android. The print version is available from the Caixote website for BRL 50 plus shipping. Part of the proceeds will go to the UNHCR, and readers downloading it can donate up to BRL 50.
Orquestra Mundana Refugi
On Saturday (13), Orquestra Mundana Refugi will perform in two FLIP parallel program. From 11 am to 12:30 at SESC’s Unidade Caborê stage at Rua Octávio Gama, 1709. And at 9 pm at FLIP Preta program at no Quilombo do Campinho, at BR 101, Km 584.
The orchestra comprises Brazilians, migrants and refugees of different nationalities, under the musical direction of Carlinhos Antunes. It performs folk themes as well as authorial songs. Oula Al-Saghir also sings at the orchestra. She arrived in Brazil four years ago as a refugee.
Quick Facts
“Amal e a viagem mais importante de sua vida” at FLIP
17th Paraty International Literary Festival
July 12, Friday
Boat ride at 9 am – Educational Boat
Walk at 9:30 am – leaving Central Flipinha
Staging of the book at 10 am at Biblioteca Comunitária Casa Azul
Chat with Oula Al-Saghir and Miguel Pachioni at 10:40 am
Paraty – RJ
Free
July 13, Saturday
2-3 pm
Staging of the book and chat
Central Flipinha
Paraty – RJ
Free
Fact Sheet
“Amal e a viagem mais importante de sua vida”
Author: Carolina Montenegro
Illustrations: Renato Moriconi
Editora Caixote & Webcore Games
For children aged 8 or older
Themes: kids-and-teens literature, refugees, migrants, humanitarian crisis, contemporary history
96 pages
ISBN: 978-85-67767-02-4
Price: BRL 50
Orquestra Mundana Refugi
July 13, Saturday, 11 a,
Parallel Program – SESC
Unidade Caborê Stage
Rua Octávio Gama, 1709
Paraty – RJ
July 13, Saturday, 9 pm
Parallel Program – Flip Preta
Quilombo do Campinho
BR 101, Km 584
Paraty – RJ
Translated by Guilherme Miranda