São Paulo – The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI) is airing a series of interviews with Brazilian personalities of Lebanese ascent. Programs have aired featuring vice president Michel Temer and sailor Amyr Klink. On Friday (7th), the mayor of São Paulo, Fernando Haddad, will be in the spotlight.
The interviews were scheduled with assistance from the Brazilian-born, Lebanese-based director of Centre for Latin American Studies and Cultures at Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik (Cecal-Usek), Roberto Khatlab. According to him, the series is part of the program Names in History (Asmaa min al tarikh in Arabic), hosted by journalist Karen Boustany.
The show features Lebanese immigrants and descendants living in different countries. According to Khatlab, there has been a series on Europe, another on the United States, and now it is Latin America’s turn.
“Supporting the program is in keeping with the goals of Cecal-Usek, i.e. bridging the gap between Lebanon and Latin America,” the professor told ANBA by email. “Thus being, this social/cultural program strengthens the ties between Lebanon and Brazil,” he added.
According to him, Boustany travelled to Brazil with a team from the TV channel and interviewed 20 Brazilians of Lebanese ascent. Apart from Temer, Klink and Haddad, the list comprises jurist and former minister Francisco Rezek, advertising professional Roberto Duailib, the chairman of the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Fiesp), Paulo Skaf, the president of the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), Soraya Smaili, the former São Paulo mayor Gilberto Kassab, writer Milton Hatoum, physician Raul Cutait, the University of São Paulo (USP) professor and translator Safa Jubran, among other people.
Khatlab also said the choice of interviewees was based on a column he writes twice a month for the Lebanese French-language newspaper L’Orient-Le Jour titled The Lebanese around the world. He accompanied the LBCI team’s visit to Brazil late last year.
The attraction airs on Fridays at 10:30 pm, Beirut time, 6:30 pm in Brasília. The interviews are available in the links below.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
