São Paulo – Brazil is not the only country to be flooded with green and yellow flags and to turn the Brazilian national team’s match in the World Cup into a reason for a party in the streets of its cities. Lebanon, an Arab country in the Middle East that has strong immigration ties with Brazil, also becomes a die-hard fan when Brazil is playing soccer. “There are also German, Argentinean, Italian and Spanish flags across the country. But six out of ten flags are Brazilian, and four belong to other countries,” says the Brazilian ambassador to Beirut, Paulo Roberto Fontoura.
The diplomat explains that the flags are printed on houses, commercial establishments, cars, and there are national team shirts, watches and bracelets with the Brazilian colours for sale at stores and street vendors in Beirut. Even the Lebanese flag is painted green and yellow at the time of the Cup. The white portion of the Lebanese flag turns to green and the red turns to yellow. The cedar is painted green instead of blue, says the ambassador. People watch the matches at their homes, with their families and friends, and at bars across the city, claims Fontoura.
Roberto Khatlab, a Brazilian writer and researcher who lives in Lebanon, also reports that last week, when he travelled to Nakura, in the south of the country, he saw green and yellow flags everywhere. “There is a passion for Brazil,” says Khatlab. The statement is corroborated by ambassador Fontoura. “All across Lebanon, there is a strong passion for Brazil and for soccer,” he says. The diplomat ascribes the strong connection to immigration. “The Lebanese identify with us because there are 10 million Lebanese living in Brazil,” he claims. He highlights the fact that the Lebanese have been going to Brazil for 130 years, which is how long Lebanese immigration in Brazil dates back.
Fontoura claims that the Lebanese do not admire Brazil only when it comes to soccer, in which the country excels. “No matter how many problems it has, the country is succeeding,” says the ambassador. Immigration has led the presence of Brazilians to become a constant in the Arab country as well. “We are visited by businessmen, doctors, athletes, artists, writers,” says Fontoura. The Bekaa Valley is the region of the country that is home to the largest number of Brazilians, most of whom are of Lebanese origin.
On this Tuesday, ambassador Fontoura was preparing to watch the match between Brazil and North Korea, the country’s first, at his home. He claims, however, that he called only the embassy’s employees. “If I were to open the doors, the people would not fit inside my house,” quips Fontoura. At the time of the World Cup, the Brazilian ambassador even becomes a celebrity in the streets of Beirut. Whenever drivers recognize him, they honk their horns at him.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
