Lebanese in Brazil, Brazilian in Lebanon
Their families left Lebanon generations ago. For some Lebanese Brazilians, Lebanon’s pull never disappeared.
Their families left Lebanon generations ago. For some Lebanese Brazilians, Lebanon’s pull never disappeared.
Beirut, Lebanon – The techno beat falls away for a moment as the DJ lines up another song. Its opening chords pulse through the speakers and the room erupts. In the crush of the club, people cheer and scramble onto wooden tables and chairs, craning over one another for a better view of the woman stepping onto the dance floor.
As her white silk skirt floats around her, Naima Yazbek, 55, twirls to the sound of the classical Arabic song Alf Leila wa Leila (One Thousand and One Nights), letting the music carry her through every flick of the wrist, every spin.
Natalie's mother later met a Lebanese man while on holiday in Rio de Janeiro. They fell in love, Natalie says, and soon married. Shortly after Natalie was born, however, her father left and eventually returned to Lebanon. Natalie remained in Rio, raised by her mother and grandmother.