An Old Diaspora: Histories of Militancy by Palestinians with a Northeastern Accent

• Author: Luciana Garcia de Oliveira
• Date: 01 May 2019
• Published date: 01 May 2019
• DOI: 10.1177/0094582X19828381
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0094582X19828381

LATIN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES, Issue 226, Vol. 46 No. 3, May 2019, 71–83

DOI: 10.1177/0094582X19828381

© 2019 Latin American Perspectives

71

An Old Diaspora

Histories of Militancy by Palestinians with a Northeastern

Accent

by

Luciana Garcia de Oliveira

Translated by

Frutuoso Santana

Most of the Palestinians who arrived in the cities of Northeastern Brazil came during

the time of the Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth century, especially after the travels of

Emperor Dom Pedro II. The arrival of Palestinians before the founding of the State of Israel

in 1948 made many Palestinians and their descendants indifferent to the Israeli-

Palestinian conflict. The situation changed in the 1980s as a result of the worsening situ-

ation of Palestinians in Lebanon, when the Palestine-Brazil Cultural Center was

established in the city of Olinda, Pernambuco, and the deputy Raymundo Asfora made

many speeches in defense of the Palestinian cause. These militant actions served as an

inspiration for new generations of Palestinians born in Brazil.

A maioria dos palestinos que chegaram à algumas cidades do nordeste brasileiro vieram

durante a vigência do Império Turco Otomano, em pleno século XIX, sobretudo após as

viagens do imperador do Brasil, Dom Pedro II ao Oriente Médio. A chegada dos palestinos

antes da fundação do Estado de Israel (1948) foi determinante para que muitos palestinos

e descentes fossem indiferentes ao conflito Israel-Palestina. A situação mudou, mais tarde,

na década de 1980, durante o agravamento da situação dos palestinos no Líbano. Foi inau-

gurado o Centro Cultural Palestina-Brasil na cidade de Olinda, PE, e o deputado Raymundo

Asfora realizava muitos discursos públicos em defesa da causa palestina. Essas ações mili-

tantes serviram de inspiração para as novas gerações de palestinos nascidos no Brasil.

Keywords: Diaspora, Palestine, Ottoman Empire, Northeast, Militancy

The history and daily life of several cities in Brazil’s Northeast are populated

with characters whose last names are Asfora, Zarzar, Hazin, Dueire, Bechara,

Chamie, Aziz, Elihimas, Alouchie, and many others of Arab Palestinian origin.

These names are so familiar to a Northeastern Brazilian that they are practically

considered native to the region. They are pronounced with the typical Northeastern

Luciana Garcia de Oliveira has a Master’s in Arab and Jewish studies from the Universidade de

São Paulo and is a research associate of Hannah Arendt Studies Center. Frutuoso Santana is a

translator living in New York City. This article is the result of teamwork by a group of Palestinians

in the Brazilian Northeast on the occasion of the first Conference of Palestinians, Descendants, and

Friends of the Northeast held in Recife in November 2016. It received special contributions from

Fátima Yasbeck Asfora, André Frej Hazineh, João Asfora Neto, and Sami Elali. It is dedicated to

the memory of Lúcio Asfora.

828381LAPXXX10.1177/0094582X19828381Latin American PerspectivesOliveira / Militancy by Palestinians in Brazil’s Northeast

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