São Paulo – Alejandro Bitar, the Lebanese consul-general in Rio de Janeiro, met on Monday (29) with Brazilian writer Carlos Nejar to kickstart the creation of the 1st Lebanese Brazilian Academy of Literature, Arts and Sciences in Brazil. Nejar (pictured above, L, with Bitar) is a highly respected Brazilian writer and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters.
According to information made public by the General Consulate of Lebanon in Rio de Janeiro, they discussed the academy’s outline, purpose, statute, members, and preparatory sessions. Najar will be the patron of the academy, which is expected to be launched later this year.
“In Brazil, Lebanese, Arabs and their descendants are a key part of the culture across all areas, notably in literature, arts and sciences. Therefore, an institution of excellence that represented them was missing to give opportunities to so many others that excel in their fields,” the consulate said in a statement.
The academy aims at cultivating and preserving the literary, intellectual and artistic creativity of Lebanese and Arabs in Brazil, as well as safeguarding, promoting and spreading literary, artistic and scientific works by its patrons, founders and scholars.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
