São Paulo – The Thousand and One Nights, Love Perfume and Night of Arabia are some of the names of perfumes from Tunisia that are enchanting Brazilian women at Art Mundi, a handicraft fair to take place up to Sunday (12) at the Expo Center Norte, in São Paulo. "Here in Brazil there is nothing similar," said the manager of Tunisian company Aimex, Aodi Ridha.
At the company stand at the fair, 10 essences are being shown. Apart form those already mentioned; there is also lime, sandalwood, vanilla and amber, among others. "They are all made from flowers and herbs. They have no alcohol and are all natural," said Ridha, who usually comes to Brazil six times a year to participate in handicraft fairs in several Brazilian states.
According to the manager, the Tunisian laboratory that develops essences has operated in the area for 200 years and is already in the fifth generation of the family. "All essences are our creations," stated Ridha, who exports the perfumes to Europe, the Middle East, Japan and the Americas. The laboratory employs 92 people.
Apart from essences, which are among the Tunisian products most sold at the fair, the stand also offers perfume bottles in several sizes, ceramics, nacre boxes, desert roses – sand naturally crystallized into the shape of a rose -, among other decoration objects. The perfume bottles are also attracting great attention of women visiting the fair. They are made artistically out of blown glass and receive finishing in gold.
Pensioner Jô Azevedo, for example, always buys the small perfume bottles for her collection of imported miniatures. In this edition of the Art Mundi she bought five. "Their style is different. It is lovable and very delicate," she said, adding that she already has 25 Tunisian bottles in her collection. "Next year I am coming again to buy the larger ones," she added. Each bottle of perfume costs 15 reals (US$ 6,30), but if you take more, you can get a discount.
More Arab handicraft
Table towels, narghiles, wooden furniture with marquetry, cushion covers, scarves, dishes, Islamic bead necklaces, cups, mirrors, bells and several other decorations from Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt may be found at the Art Mundi. "The Brazilian people love it all," stated Syrian importer Rana Obeid, who buys from Palestine.
The Palestinian scarves, which are in fashion in Brazil, have already all been sold. The cups and other ceramic products are also well accepted at the fair. "We love to show the products to Brazilians. They like asking about our culture," stated Rana.
At the stand of company Império Árabe, which sells products from Syria and Lebanon, the manually embroidered tablecloths also attract the attention of Brazilians. "Arab handicraft is already famous in Brazil. Previously, the only thing known was food," stated company director Radwan Raad, who works with another 50 imported items.
Another company that imports Arab products is Elbaraka, which has two shops in São Paulo. According to the supervisor at the importer, Mahmoud Magib, in the last five years the number of retailers who sell Arab products in Brazil has grown. "We imported products three times last year," he said.
Service
Art Mundi
Date: October 3rd to 12th
Where: Red Pavilion at Expo Center Norte
Address: Rua José Bernardo Pinto, 333 – Vila Guilherme – São Paulo
Time: from Monday to Friday, from 1:00 pm to 10:00 pm, Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm
Site: www.feiraartmundi.com.br
*Translated by Mark Ament
