Feature

“Look forward, not backward,” is what farmer Heloisa Daher was often told by her family of Syrian and Lebanese immigrants while growing up in Brazil.

Ms Daher remembers watching her family argue in Arabic over the dinner table, or so she thought. They wanted her to integrate into Brazilian society and so they banned her from learning Arabic. But hunger to better understand her roots lingered despite her parents insisting she grow up speaking only Portuguese.

Fifty years on, the mother of four is now enrolled in Arabic classes at Abraço Cultural (Portuguese for “cultural hug”), a refugee-led language school in São Paulo.

After learning the basics of Arabic, she realised that what she had thought had been arguments over the dinner table had instead been friendly chatter. “It was just the guttural ‘r’ sound in Arabic,” she says to explain her childhood misunderstanding. “It brings me joy to understand that now.”

Abraço Cultural looks like any other language school, complete with scrawled whiteboards and beige school chairs. But it exclusively employs teachers from war-torn and crisisstricken lands, including Haiti, Congo, Venezuela and Syria.

From war zone to World Cup

The school’s main goal is to generate income for refugees. In five years, the school has paid over 2m reais (£370,000) in salaries to 55 refugees and vulnerable immigrants.

Ms Daher’s Arabic teacher, Syrian Ali Jeratli, has been teaching here since 2015.

When two car bombs exploded in Damascus in December 2011, the year Syria’s civil war erupted, Mr Jeratli was two kilometres away on a bus.

He was on his way home from his job at the Four Seasons hotel. That night, 44 people died and 166 were injured. “My bus was late that day,” Mr Jeratli recalls. “If it had left on time, I would have been at the heart of that explosion. And I might not be alive today.”

But starting over was not easy. “When I arrived here, I didn’t know anyone and couldn’t speak a word of Portuguese,” he recalls.

After a few tough months, his fluency in English and Arabic landed him a temporary job as a translator during the Football World Cup, a dream come true for the avid football fan. It was during that time that he met people involved with Abraço Cultural, and became one of the first teachers working at the school.

Brazil has taken in just under 5,000 Syrians citizens like Mr Jeratli since 2011.

Plenty of potential

Abraço Cultural’s cofounder, Daniel Morais, was volunteering at a local charity when the idea for the school struck him.

He had met refugees who were doctors and polyglots but were struggling to get a job. “I saw they had a lot of potential but didn’t have any help to get started,” he said.

“Syrians spoke fluent English and Arabic. Many Haitians speak up to five languages once they get to Brazil. So I thought: we need to make the most of this and start a language course.” Genevieve Cherubin came to Brazil from Haiti

The non-profit school charges lower prices than other language schools and 5,200 people have signed up to its courses since its inauguration.

Today, the school receives 90% of its revenue from students, and 10% external funding for special projects. All teachers go through a twomonth pedagogy programme to learn how to teach English, Spanish, French or Arabic.

“We talk about giving people opportunities to contribute. These aren’t just people that need help. They have a lot to offer. It’s a rich exchange,” says school director Mariângela Garbelini.

Two-way street

French student Victoria Silva enjoys learning from her Congolese teacher, Joly Kayembe. “It’s amazing to learn French from someone who looks like me,” she explains. In Brazil, most French courses are geared towards a largely white elite.

But accessible prices attract some students who do not always appreciate the school’s core goal, says Ms Garbelini. “There is resistance from some students. They want to learn French to go to Paris. They don’t want to learn African French,” she says. “But we strive for this to be valued.”

Lessons at Abraço Cultural bring in elements of history, culture, music, dance and food and Mr Jeratli has made it his mission to dispel misconceptions about his home country. “People have such a poor idea about my country. They think Syria is just bombs and desert,” he says.

While continuing to spread knowledge about Syria, Mr Jeratli is also trying to make a new life for himself in Brazil. He has applied for Brazilian citizenship, which he expects to be granted soon.

But it is not just a one-way street. Through his lessons, Heloisa Daher has fallen in love with her ancestral land and plans to visit it with her children once the war is over.

Source: BBC

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2021

By Albert Akota

In recognition of his genuine commitment to sports development and industry, Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has been honoured with a merit award by the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN).

Performing the investiture inside the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba, during the finals of Zenith Bank Delta Principals’ Cup, President of SWAN, Sir Honour Sirawoo who led an expanded National Executive Committee (NEC) described Okowa as an “enabler of generational shift in sports growth and development.”

He stated that Governor Okowa has contributed immensely to sports development, not just in Delta but across the federation.

Speaking at the occasion, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa said the state will continue to take school sports seriously adding that it from the young ones will the future champions emerge.

Okowa also commended SWAN for their contribution to sports development in the country, even as urged them not to relent despite all the challenges they face.

The nation’s number one sports writer stressed that under Okowa’s administration, Delta has excelled in every sphere of sports.

According to him, “Governor Okowa must be commended for his genuine love for sports and its development. He is indeed a square peg in a square hole when it comes to passion for sports.

“Under his administration, Delta State has maintained commanding positions in practically all sphere of sports. This clearly shows that the governor is a lover of sports.

Sir Sirawoo disclosed that SWAN Merit Award is given to those who truly deserve it and as such, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has joined an exclusive list of awardees.

At the end of the end of regulation time, none of the teams; Osadenis Mixed Secondary School, Asaba and College of Commerce,Warri could score and the two teams went into a penalty shootout.

Defending champions, College of Commerce, Warri won the match after converting all their kicks while Osadenis only managed to score three kicks and the game ended 5-3 goals.

The winning team also went home with the brand new 18 seater bus donated by the Delta State government and a cash sum of one million Naira.

Also sponsor of the tournament, Zenith Bank of Nigeria made a cash presentation of N500,000 to the second placed team as well as individual cash awards to outstanding players.

Super Falcon coach Waldrum has described the 9-day camping in Abuja as marvellous experience.

He however commended the Nigeria Football Federation for its continued total support for the country’s Senior Women National Team as the Super Falcons were set to round off a 9-day training camp in the Federal Capital, Abuja.

The training camp that commenced on Monday last week would come to an end on Tuesday.

“I am very delighted with the support the Federation has always given to the team; this has helped our work.

I am happy we had this training camp as we were able to see the home-based players and the overseas-based, and everyone bonded very well. It has been a marvelous experience and the joy among the players is palpable.

General Secretary of the NFF, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, who received the players and their officials at the NFF Secretariat, said the football –governing body will always ensure to provide the Falcons with the best conditions to train and play friendly and competitive matches, in order to do the nation proud each time.

“We will set aside resources to organize more of this type of camping so that we will always get the best from home and abroad and blend them to perform at optimal level when the need arises.

We are aware of the challenge that Cote d’Ivoire will pose when we confront them for a place at next year’s Women AFCON.

We need players who are committed and are proud to dorn the country’s colours and will strive to deliver no matter the circumstances.