São Paulo – The Palestinian Youth in Brazil (Sanaúd) is getting together from July 26 to 28 in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná. Sanaúd means “We Will Return,” a reference to the return of Palestinian people to their homeland. The purpose of the meeting is to involve Palestinians and descendants aged 17 to 29 to discuss and help further the Palestinian Cause in Brazil.
Sanaúd is an organization for young people whose activities had ceased in Brazil about 20 years ago. A new group (pictured above) was created during the 10th Congress of the Palestinian Arab Federation in Brazil (Fepal) last April in Porto Alegre. “During that event, one of the leaders said that we are the youth of Palestine. He called on us to speak amongst ourselves, because we’re the future of Fepal,” said the 19-year-old Yousef Amer, who’s a Sanaúd representative and one of the event’s organizers.
The opening lecture will cover the history of Sanaúd in Brazil, with founders and long-time members sharing their experiences with the young Palestinian movement. The event will also feature addresses from Fábio Amaro, who holds a doctorate in International Relations from the Universidade de Brasília (UNB), on “Palestine in the context of International Relations in the Middle East,” and from Hanna Yousef Emile Safieh, a Palestinian-born, Brazilian-based retired professor from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), on “The Palestinian Issue and the geopolitical empire in its regional and international context.”
Sanaúd has no board of directors, so every young person can contribute in a more egalitarian way. “The youth meeting is about the future, about how we can help Palestine here in Brazil. All lectures and events will be intended to open up young people’s minds to ideas for activities in their own cities. It’s designed to motivate people, the way I was motivated when I got back from the Congress last April,” said Safieh, an Oil Engineering student at the Federal University of Pelotas (Ufpel).
A Pelotas native, Safieh is a son to Palestinian parents who migrated to Brazil. He explains that there’s a big Arab community in South Brazil – there are 30 to 40 families living in Pelotas, for instance.
The first day of the meeting will be for the general public. Activities on Saturday and Sunday will be for Sanaúd members only. The event is backed by Fepal and the Embassy of Palestine in Brazil. Organizers said a tour bus will leave from Porto Alegre to Pelotas at 1 pm on July 24 (Wednesday), and take the return trip late on Sunday afternoon (28). Groups from Manaus and Brasília are also organizing to attend.
Quick facts
Palestinian Arab Youth Meeting – Sanaúd
Hotel Golden Park (Rua Almirante Barroso, 2006 – Centro), Foz do Iguaçu – Paraná
Find out more: juventudesanaud@gmail.com
Registration is free of charge
Shuttle from Porto Alegre
July 24, 1 pm
Shuttle from Pelotas
July 28, late afternoon
Roundtrip ticket: BRL 205
Accomodation: Two nights – BRL 320 (breakfast included)
Three nights – BRL 435
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
