São Paulo – Qatar will be paid tribute at the 18th edition off the Pan-Amazonian Book Fair, due from Amy 30th to June 8th in Belém, Pará. The country and its culture will also provide the motif to various Arab-themed activities.<\/p>\n
“The choice of Qatar was a consequence of the visit paid by sheikha Moza (Bint Nasser), who travelled to the Amazon to meet indigenous people, and of the Year of Culture Qatar-Brazil, of which the state of Pará is a part. Thus, state governor Simão Jatene (affiliated with party PSDB) and the secretary for Culture Paulo Chaves have decided to pay tribute to Qatar, and consequently the Arab world, at the fair,” explains Ana Catarina Peixoto, director for Culture of the Pará State Secretariat for Culture. <\/p>\n
The fair’s lengthy schedule comprises lectures, seminars, music concerts, film screenings, poetry readings, children’s theatre and other activities. The Qatar Museums Authority, which organizes the Qatar-Brazil Year of Culture, is setting up a tent at the event, featuring books, musicians, a calligrapher to write people’s names in Arabic, and a woman to paint visitors’ hands using henna. The tent will also offer coffee, spices and dates to visitors. <\/p>\n
“We have a significant Arab colony, mostly Syrians and Lebanese,” says Peixoto regarding Arabs in the state of Pará. “Arab descendants are fairly active and present in areas such as the arts, medicine and architecture,” she says.<\/p>\n
On Saturday (31st), Mohammed Al-Hayki, the Qatari ambassador in Brasília, will administer the lecture ‘Catar: uma janela para o mundo árabe’ (Qatar: a window into the Arab world). “I am discussing the importance of Qatar-Brazil relations, and books as a means to gaining knowledge in different fields, and bringing nations closer to one another,” he says. <\/p>\n
The ambassador says Qatar sustains excellent relations with the state of Pará and that his country is featured in the fair in a bid to take the Year of Culture activities to as many cities as possible. <\/p>\n
Rafah Barakat, head of the 2014 Qatar-Brazil Year of Culture project at the Qatar Museums Authority, is also attending the fair. On the same day as Al-Hayki’s lecture, she will give a presentation on Qatari women in contemporary society. <\/p>\n
Writers <\/strong> <\/p>\n The Amazon-born writer Milton Hatoum, of Lebanese ascent, will also be honoured at the fair. He will be the topic of seminar ‘Um Certo Milton Hatoum’ (A Certain Milton Hatoum), during which he will hold the conference ‘Passagens para certo Oriente’ (Tickets to a certain East). “He is one of the major writers of our time, and another example of the connection between our cultures,” Peixoto points out.<\/p>\n Other prominent figures in Arab-Brazilian literature, such as Assaad Zaidan, Safa Jubran and Mamede Jarouche, among others, will also take part in seminars and lectures during the fair in Belém. The full program is available at http:\/\/feiradolivro.pa.gov.br.<\/p>\n Service <\/strong> *Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum<\/strong><\/p>\n
18th Pan-Amazonian Book Fair
May 30th to June 8th
Hangar Convenções e Feiras da Amazônia (convention center)
Av. Dr. Freitas, no number – Marco – Belém – Pará
Admittance is free<\/p>\n