Between Friday, January 26, and Sunday, January 28, the Palestinian community living in Brazil will hold a national meeting in Porto Alegre, the capital of the southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul.
The 9th Congress of Arab Palestinian Organizations and Communities in Brazil, which should bring together 300 to 400 Palestinians and descendants, will take place at Hotel Continental.
The event kicks off with a dinner on Friday, at 7 pm, and will proceed with an opening ceremony at 9 pm. The ambassador of Palestine in Brazilian capital Brasília, Mayada Bamie, should attend the ceremony.
The first night of the meeting will feature artistic performances. Marina Elali, of Palestine descent, will sing, and the folkloric groups Terra, from Porto Alegre, Al Aqsa, from the Uruguaiana city, and Al Watan, from Santa Maria, are going to dance.
The event will continue on Saturday with debates and lectures. The meeting is aimed at integrating immigrants living in Brazil, at discussing cultural, social and political issues, and also at elaborating community action projects for the upcoming years.
The congress takes place every three years, and is also the occasion in which is chosen the board of directors for the Palestinian Arab Confederation of Brazil (Copal), which organizes the congress.
A roundtable is scheduled for Saturday night to discuss the "role of youth in the organization and strengthening of the Palestinian community in Brazil." On Sunday afternoon, another roundtable will be held under the theme "The Palestine: present and future." The congress is held since the 1970s.
Anba