São Paulo – Stories of Arab immigrants and Syria’s typical cuisine will be meshed together once again at the return of the play Salamaleque to the cultural scened of the São Paulo state capital next January 23rd. Starred by actress Valéria Arbex, the play includes the public with memories and food from the Middle East.
Based on letters exchanged between her Syrian grandparents Nicolau Antônio and Nadime Neif Name in the 1930s, Valéria decided to interview other Arab immigrants, from Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, that live in Brazil, and wrote the interactive play to tell these stories to the local audience.
“Salamaleque is a patchwork of stories that I heard, from my family’s memories, from cuisine and historical research that I made”, she says. “It pays reverence to immigrants, it’s a way back to my origins, a reunion”, said Valéria in the play’s program.
The play takes place in a kitchen, set up in an abandoned shed. The actress prepares typical dishes of the Arab cuisine, such as chickpea spread, baba ghanoush, curd, flavored water and bread with Za’atar spread.
In the play, the kitchen is the same one from the childhoold of the Elizete character, who plays host to the audience to share her memories. At the play’s end, the dishes are served to them.
The soundtrack was created by brothers Sami and Willian Bordokan. The music is based on Syrian-Lebanese folk songs from the beginning of the 20th century, with lute, tablah and nai (Arab percussion instrument and flute, respectively).
Admission is free and tickets will be distributed an hour before the play starts. The theater will also collect donations that will be forwarded to institutes that aid refugees.
Salamaleque Theater Play
Season: from January 23rd to March 12th, 2016
Saturdays, from 4 PM to 8 PM, and Sundays, at 4 PM (except Carnival, February 6th and 7th)
Admission free. Tickets to be distributed an hour before the play
Duration: 60 minutes. Capacity: 35 seats. Rating: 12 years
Instituto Cultural Capobianco
Rua Álvaro de Carvalho, 97 – Centro – São Paulo
Organizations that will receive the donations and items that can be donated: ADUS – Instituto de Reintegração do Refugiado no Brasil (Refugee Reintegration Institute in Brazil) is open to receive school supplies for Portuguese classes – pens, pencils, notebooks, children’s books); Oasis Solidário (Soliday Oasis) is open to receive diapers, wheat for kibbeh, wheat flour, lentil, chickpea); and the Centro de Acolhida ao Imigrante (Immigrant Hospitality Center) that is open to receive all kinds of donations except perishable foods.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
