S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 Dom Pedro II, who ruled Brazil from 1840 to 1889, liked to travel. As the emperor of Brazil, he went to Europe, visited the United States during the celebration of its 200th independence anniversary, and last but not least, of course, he went to the Arab countries. In 1871 he visited Egypt. Few Brazilians know it, but six years later he returned to the Middle East, this time to see Egypt again and then head on to Syria, Palestine and Lebanon. Now, 135 years after the Brazilian emperor\u2019s tour of the Arab world, his four-day long visit to Lebanon is the theme of an exhibition at SESC Vila Mariana, in S\u00e3o Paulo. <\/p>\n
Organized by the Brazil-Lebanon Cultural Association, the show features photographs of places the emperor visited, pictures of Dom Pedro, objects and excerpts from the diary of his horse trip between Lebanese cities. Dom Pedro arrived in a ship at the Port of Beirut on November 11, 1876. From the capital, him, his wife Dona Maria Cristina and the 200-strong entourage went to Bkerke, Baabda, Sidon, Tiro, Sofar, Zahl\u00e9 and Baalbek. <\/p>\n
The Brazil-Lebanon Cultural Association director, Lody Brais, claims that but a handful of people are aware of the emperor\u2019s visit to Lebanon. \u201cLast year, we celebrated the 130th anniversary of Lebanese immigration to Brazil, and we remembered Dom Pedro\u2019s trip to the country. We always mention that particular moment in our celebrations,\u201d says Lody, who did the research along with the association\u2019s cultural director, Nouha Nader. <\/p>\n
The exhibition reveals, for instance, that the house where Dom Pedro II was born, in Rio de Janeiro, was leased by a Lebanese merchant, Antonio Elias Lubbus, for the royal family to live in, when the Portuguese king John IV moved to Brazil, in 1808. At that time, there already was a small colony of Arab immigrants in Brazil, but it was after the emperor\u2019s visit to Lebanon, in 1880, that most of the immigrants came to the country. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Dom Pedro met with the Lebanese [in 1876], he spoke very highly of Brazil and said they would be welcome to visit the country and then go back to Lebanon. Instead they came, they liked it and never went back,\u201d says Lody.<\/p>\n
In his horse trip through Lebanon, the emperor met religious leaders, local authorities, scientists and scholars. There he met Nami Jafet, a philosopher who migrated to Brazil in 1893, where he established a fabric factory. During Dom Pedro\u2019s trip to Lebanon, he was presented with Arabic books, and even learned a few words. <\/p>\n
The exhibition features excerpts from his diary that show his admiration for Baalbek, the city he liked the most: \u201cI have never seen monuments, mostly architectural, as majestic as Baalbek\u2019s,\u201d he wrote. The city was founded by the Romans between 138 BC and 217 AC, and some of the buildings are replicas of Roman Empire buildings. These were built in Lebanon in an attempt to impress the East with Rome\u2019s \u201cgrandeur.\u201d <\/p>\n
In addition to retracing the emperor\u2019s steps, the show features some of his objects, such as a sword and the official Brazilian flag as of 1822, on lease from Casa Imperial (the Imperial House). The travel accounts and photos were found by the Brazil-Lebanon Cultural Association researchers at other institutions: the National Library and the Imperial Museum of Petr\u00f3polis. \u201cThis show helps retell part of the history of Brazil,\u201d says Lody.<\/p>\n
Service <\/b> <\/p>\n
The show \u201cD. Pedro II in Lebanon \u2013 135 years of the emperor\u2019s visit\u201d will run until January 15 at Sesc Vila Mariana, in S\u00e3o Paulo (Pelotas St., 141, telephone: 5080-3000). Mondays to Fridays from 7:00 am to 9:30 pm. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 9:00 am to 6:30 pm. At the atrium. Free of charge.<\/p>\n
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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