São Paulo – In a bid to connect the cities of Beirut, Lebanon and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (pictured), the Consulate General of Lebanon in Rio de Janeiro will launch the project Consulate General of Lebanon in Rio de Janeiro will launch the project Rio-Beirute: Caminhos Para Duas Cidades (Rio-Beirut: Pathways for Two Cities). next April. The goal is to encourage agreements involving initiatives from both cities, in fields including culture, economy and urban planning. Since 2009, Rio and Beirut have been declared sister cities by a municipal law in the former city.
Lebanon’s consulate general to Rio, Alejandro Bitar, said the Project will encourage and facilitate contacts between Brazilian and Lebanese institutions. “This is a long-term project with no end date. We wish to enhance the ties between our countries,” said Bitar. Rio-Beirute will rely on a consulate team to pick projects linking up urban elements of Rio and Beirut. One of the first initiatives being looked into concerns the establishment of a protocol of cooperation between the Beirut International Marathon and the Rio Marathon. Cooperation could include the exchange of professionals, workshops and other actions.
The project will be launched on April 10 at the Rio de Janeiro Palácio da Cidade. In attendance will be Claudine Aoun Roukoz, chair of the Supreme Council of Arab Women Organization, president of the National Commission for Lebanese and special advisor to the president of Lebanon. Roukoz is the daughter of president Michel Aoun. “It will be a meeting to discuss aspects of the project, and how women participate in the Arab world and Lebanon,” the consul said.
According to the Consulate, actions covered by the project could involve anything from graffiti to spoken poetry meetings known as ‘slams,’ or ones relating to economics and tourism. Anyone looking to promote their work, including projects or startup companies, can send an email to riobeirute@gmail.com to get their proposals looked into by the Consulate General’s Commssion.
As a Rio-Beirute pre-launch event, April 8 will see Claudine Roukoz deliver a lecture followed by a discussion on The Condition of Women in the Arab World. On the 9th there will be a showing of the movie Nour, by Khalil Dreyfus Zaarour.
The Consulate is also working on actions for coming months, including Expo Food Líbano, an industry show set to take place in Rio.
Quick Facts
Project launch – Rio Beirute: Caminhos para duas cidades
April 10, 7pm
Palácio da Cidade
Rua São Clemente, 360 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Find out more: www.riobeirute.com.br or riobeirute@gmail.com
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
