São Paulo – Sesc Santo André will conduct the tour Arab Roots – Fabrics, Colors and Flavors, a walk through the center of São Paulo on Saturday 16 February 2019, passing through places such as Pátio do Colégio and 25 de Março street, and telling the history of Arab immigration to the city, especially Syrian and Lebanese.
“The idea of the tour is showing which paths Syrian and Lebanese immigrants passed through in the city, how their presence shows, so we go to 25 de Março street, their first concentration space, where it all begun; we talk about commerce and why they devoted themselves to some specific fields, and we use a number of cultural sites to tell a little about their religion and food,” says Juliana Khouri, master in Arab Studies from Universidade de São Paulo (USP), who will be guiding the tour.
The tour begins at 7:30am, leaving Sesc Santo André, taking a bus to Pátio do Colégio, where São Paulo was founded. From there, it goes to 25 de Março street, passing through specific clothes and fabric stores owned by Arab families; then it visits a little Orthodox church at Basílio Jafet street, and stops at Mesquita Brasil at Barão de Jaguará street, in Cambuci, where they will talk to a local sheik.
Included in the tour’s price, the lunch break will be at the Arab restaurant Sabah at Club Homs at Avenida Paulista. Then, a stop at the Melkite Greek church at Paraíso street, and at the Orthodox Cathedral (photo) at Vergueiro street. The return to Santo André is scheduled to 6pm. The schedule is subject to changes.
The registration may be filed as of 8 January 2019, 3pm. The price for those with full credential is BRL 60.00, and may be paid in two installments; for those without credentials, the price is BRL 90.00, which may be paid in three installments.
Those interested can make a pre-registration on the Sesc portal or through the call center, and a vacancy draw will be published January 10 at 3pm on the site. Those contemplated should turn up at Sesc Sandro André in order to pay. There are only 30 vacancies. Those with full Sesc credentials may register a family group, and those without it may include only two people.
The tour is part of Sesc’s social tourism project, which aims to value local cultural. “Social tourism is important to develop access and educate people through and for tourism, respecting diversity and promoting inclusion, because tourism makes it easier for people to encounter diversity and therefore shape better citizens,” says Thiago Manfrini, tourism professional from Sesc.
Arab Roots started at Sesc Consolação in 2016, having had three editions at that unit, and one at Sesc São Caetano. For 2019, an edition is confirmed at Santo André in February 16, and another one at Sesc Itaquera in March 9 – still no information on registration have been published.
Service
Arab Roots – Fabrics, Colors and Flavors
16 February 2019
Leaving Sesc Santo André at 7:30am
Registration as of January 8
BRL 60.00 (full credentials) e BRL 90.00 (without credentials)
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
