São Paulo – After a three-year period closed for its first full renovation, the Immigration Museum (Museu da Imigração, in Portuguese) will open its doors for the public again on May 31st. Restored and adapted to receive the public, the museum will now hold a permanent exhibition on the 2.5 million immigrants and migrants who have passed through it, besides documents, temporary exhibits and a space for research. 

 The repairs in the Immigration museum cost around US$ 9 million and were intended to adapt the building to host the museum’s public and collections. Built in 1887 to function as an inn, the building will have air conditioning, flood gates and adaptations for people with special needs. The building was repaired and even the institution’s name has changed from Immigrant’s Memorial to Immigration Museum. 

According to the executive director, historian Marília Bonas, the museum which will be reopened to the public will not only touch on early 19th century immigration, but on current immigration as well. “The curatorship has striven to expand the immigrants’ speech. We want to discuss the multiple voices of those who have passed through here to share the immigrants’ experience”, Bonas told ANBA. She also said that the institution will dialog with the immigrant communities and will have a “strong aspect of partnership” with society.

The new permanent exhibition will recall the old facilities of the Immigrants’ Inn. It will have eight modules which promise to have visitors immerse themselves in the Inn’s daily life. In one of the modules, the visitor will be “taken” to the cafeteria and hear the immigrants speak in several languages. From there, they will move on to the dorms, where they will be shown the expectations and dreams of the immigrants before they actually lived in Brazil. They will also watch videos with testimonies from former guests. Other modules will show immigration nowadays.

The Immigration Museum will have an auditorium, a cafe and a space for research on the topic. Visitors who want to use the library and the reference and research center will be accompanied by a museum employee. School groups will have a space to do activities and workshops connected to the theme of immigration.

History

The Immigrants’ Inn was opened to receive immigrants who came to Brazil to work. The first guests were Europeans who left their countries invited by the government of São Paulo after slavery was abolished. They came to replace slaves in the coffee crops. These employees came to Brazil by ship, with the tickets paid by the government of São Paulo. They disembarked in the port in Santos, went up the mountain by train and were hosted at the inn before being sent to work in the countryside.

 As the years passed by, the inn received immigrants of over 70 nationalities, among them Syrians and Lebanese. Brazilian people who came to São Paulo were also hosted there in the 1930s. “In the case of Arabs, they came from many places and focused on urban centers and commerce. Portraying Arab culture is a challenge because it is composed of many cultures and we are interested in bringing that to the public”, says the executive director.

After the closing of the Immigration Museum, its management has also changed. The institution belongs to the State Secretariat for Culture, but is run by the Social Cultural Organization for Friends of the Coffee Museum (Organização Social de Cultura Associação dos Amigos do Museu do Café, in Portuguese), which also runs the namesake museum in Santos, on São Paulo’s shore. The managers expect the Immigration Museum to have 500,000 visitors by the end of the year.

For the opening day, immigrant community theatre presentations and dance shows are scheduled, besides a concert by songwriter and singer Arnaldo Antunes. In June and July, the entrance is free. Besides the permanent exhibition, the Immigration Museum will host temporary exhibits.

Service
Immigration Museum
Rua Visconde de Parnaíba, 1.316, Mooca, São Paulo, SP
Reopening scheduled for May 31st
Visiting hours: from Tuesday to Saturday, from 9am to 5pm. On Sundays, from 10am to 5pm. Fortnightly, on Fridays, the institution will be open until 9pm.
For further information: www.museudaimigracao.org.br (in Portuguese)

*Translated by Rodrigo Mendonça

São Paulo – Etihad Airways had its best performance in March since it started flying to São Paulo, in June 2013. The Abu Dhabi-based airline’s CEO in Brazil, Christophe Didier, said last month, the average occupancy rate of flights leaving from São Paulo was 75.2%. “It was the first time we had an average occupancy higher than 70%, a sensational performance,” said Didier last Wednesday (9th), during the opening cocktail party for the 2nd Japanese Cuisine Festival at São Paulo’s Intercontinental Hotel, which will continue until April 12th and is sponsored by the airline.

 Didier said performance last month was “sensational” because it represents the growth, in Brazil, of the airline and the Etihad brand, which was unknown upon arriving in Brazil. He ascribed the higher occupancy to the exclusive service the company offers its passengers.

“Etihad has been doing great work in Brazil. The flight leaves today at the best time (10:15 pm). It is the best time, because it is what passengers call for. They don’t want to fly early in the morning; they want to leave late in the evening. We have also succeeded in having a daily flight, despite the fact that the Guarulhos Airport handles large numbers of aircraft. In March, we had 75% occupancy, which is excellent considering that we have been operating for roughly eight months,” he said. Still, Didier said the company needs to keep growing and strengthening its brand in the country.

Higher demand during the World Cup

Etihad is expecting passenger demand to be up roughly 20% during the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Didier told ANBA that last Tuesday (8th), the company decided on using a larger aircraft in its flights to Brazil, probably from June to August. The event opens on June 12th and ends on July 13th.

The unit deployed will be an Airbus A340-600, which is a 292-seater, more than the aircraft flying the route connecting São Paulo and the capital of the United Arab Emirates at this time. The Airbus A340-500 currently in use has 240 seats.

This will not be the first time the airline temporarily switches aircraft in Brazil. In July last year, Etihad used a Boeing 777 in some flights during the World Youth Journey, which was attended by Pope Francis.

Etihad started flying to Brazil on June 1st last year, with three weekly flights between São Paulo and Abu Dhabi. Two months later, the flights went daily. Didier took charge of the company in Brazil in January this year, replacing Juan Torres who was allocated to the Philippines. Prior to working at Etihad, Didier spent nine years with Air France and fourteen years with the United States’ Delta Airlines.

*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum

São Paulo – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has released a study this Friday (11th) warning that Arab countries undergoing political transitions and those which have completed said processes are faced with the challenge of balancing their economies over the long haul, so as to meet the demands from their populations which have triggered demonstrations and conflicts. These demands, according to the study “Toward New Horizons Arab Economic Transformation Amid Political Transitions,” include more participation in political decision-making and a business environment conducive to job creation.

The study assess the economic conditions of Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen, which had changes in government during the Arab Spring, and Jordan and Morocco, which have “have engaged in transformation under existing regimes.” In all of the countries surveyed, for instance, spending on transfers, wages and subsidies increased during the political transition years, from 2010 to 2013. On the other hand, fiscal balance has deteriorated.

Although the economic scenario of the countries assessed is delicate, the document notes that inflation, barring Yemen and Egypt, is below the average for emerging countries. There is room for raising the tax burden on natural persons, which is lower than in developing countries, except in Morocco.

One of the main short-term economic solutions set forth by the Fund is the adoption of measures that enable jobs to be created. “Experience from other countries suggests that well-designed infrastructure projects can create jobs and lay a better foundation private sector activity,” according to the study.

In the medium term, the countries at hand need to manage their fiscal deficits and increases in spending to prevent their debts from becoming unsustainable. The main recommendation t all countries is to gradually transition from government investment to private investment, because private companies, according to the document, are the ones capable of creating jobs and fuelling the economy.

The IMF says the countries in transition are capable of growing and increasing their populations’ access to quality jobs and services. It remarks, however, that several measures are needed, including reducing poverty, reforming the energy sector, adopting communication strategies to publicize the actions taken to the population and the business community, their costs and benefits, increasing spending on social assistance, and separating price and inflation policy from politics.

“Unless strong economic and fi nancial reforms are implemented, a gradual economic
recovery will not be enough to bring a meaningful reduction in the region’s high rates of
unemployment in coming years, particularly among women and youth.” Said the IMF director for the Middle East and North Africa, Masood Ahmed, according to the document.

*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum

São Paulo – After a three-year period closed for its first full renovation, the Immigration Museum (Museu da Imigração, in Portuguese) will open its doors for the public again on May 31st. Restored and adapted to receive the public, the museum will now hold a permanent exhibition on the 2.5 million immigrants and migrants who have passed through it, besides documents, temporary exhibits and a space for research. 

 The repairs in the Immigration museum cost around US$ 9 million and were intended to adapt the building to host the museum’s public and collections. Built in 1887 to function as an inn, the building will have air conditioning, flood gates and adaptations for people with special needs. The building was repaired and even the institution’s name has changed from Immigrant’s Memorial to Immigration Museum. 

According to the executive director, historian Marília Bonas, the museum which will be reopened to the public will not only touch on early 19th century immigration, but on current immigration as well. “The curatorship has striven to expand the immigrants’ speech. We want to discuss the multiple voices of those who have passed through here to share the immigrants’ experience”, Bonas told ANBA. She also said that the institution will dialog with the immigrant communities and will have a “strong aspect of partnership” with society.

The new permanent exhibition will recall the old facilities of the Immigrants’ Inn. It will have eight modules which promise to have visitors immerse themselves in the Inn’s daily life. In one of the modules, the visitor will be “taken” to the cafeteria and hear the immigrants speak in several languages. From there, they will move on to the dorms, where they will be shown the expectations and dreams of the immigrants before they actually lived in Brazil. They will also watch videos with testimonies from former guests. Other modules will show immigration nowadays.

The Immigration Museum will have an auditorium, a cafe and a space for research on the topic. Visitors who want to use the library and the reference and research center will be accompanied by a museum employee. School groups will have a space to do activities and workshops connected to the theme of immigration.

History

The Immigrants’ Inn was opened to receive immigrants who came to Brazil to work. The first guests were Europeans who left their countries invited by the government of São Paulo after slavery was abolished. They came to replace slaves in the coffee crops. These employees came to Brazil by ship, with the tickets paid by the government of São Paulo. They disembarked in the port in Santos, went up the mountain by train and were hosted at the inn before being sent to work in the countryside.

 As the years passed by, the inn received immigrants of over 70 nationalities, among them Syrians and Lebanese. Brazilian people who came to São Paulo were also hosted there in the 1930s. “In the case of Arabs, they came from many places and focused on urban centers and commerce. Portraying Arab culture is a challenge because it is composed of many cultures and we are interested in bringing that to the public”, says the executive director.

After the closing of the Immigration Museum, its management has also changed. The institution belongs to the State Secretariat for Culture, but is run by the Social Cultural Organization for Friends of the Coffee Museum (Organização Social de Cultura Associação dos Amigos do Museu do Café, in Portuguese), which also runs the namesake museum in Santos, on São Paulo’s shore. The managers expect the Immigration Museum to have 500,000 visitors by the end of the year.

For the opening day, immigrant community theatre presentations and dance shows are scheduled, besides a concert by songwriter and singer Arnaldo Antunes. In June and July, the entrance is free. Besides the permanent exhibition, the Immigration Museum will host temporary exhibits.

Service
Immigration Museum
Rua Visconde de Parnaíba, 1.316, Mooca, São Paulo, SP
Reopening scheduled for May 31st
Visiting hours: from Tuesday to Saturday, from 9am to 5pm. On Sundays, from 10am to 5pm. Fortnightly, on Fridays, the institution will be open until 9pm.
For further information: www.museudaimigracao.org.br (in Portuguese)

*Translated by Rodrigo Mendonça

São Paulo – After a three-year period closed for its first full renovation, the Immigration Museum (Museu da Imigração, in Portuguese) will open its doors for the public again on May 31st. Restored and adapted to receive the public, the museum will now hold a permanent exhibition on the 2.5 million immigrants and migrants who have passed through it, besides documents, temporary exhibits and a space for research. 

 The repairs in the Immigration museum cost around US$ 9 million and were intended to adapt the building to host the museum’s public and collections. Built in 1887 to function as an inn, the building will have air conditioning, flood gates and adaptations for people with special needs. The building was repaired and even the institution’s name has changed from Immigrant’s Memorial to Immigration Museum. 

According to the executive director, historian Marília Bonas, the museum which will be reopened to the public will not only touch on early 19th century immigration, but on current immigration as well. “The curatorship has striven to expand the immigrants’ speech. We want to discuss the multiple voices of those who have passed through here to share the immigrants’ experience”, Bonas told ANBA. She also said that the institution will dialog with the immigrant communities and will have a “strong aspect of partnership” with society.

The new permanent exhibition will recall the old facilities of the Immigrants’ Inn. It will have eight modules which promise to have visitors immerse themselves in the Inn’s daily life. In one of the modules, the visitor will be “taken” to the cafeteria and hear the immigrants speak in several languages. From there, they will move on to the dorms, where they will be shown the expectations and dreams of the immigrants before they actually lived in Brazil. They will also watch videos with testimonies from former guests. Other modules will show immigration nowadays.

The Immigration Museum will have an auditorium, a cafe and a space for research on the topic. Visitors who want to use the library and the reference and research center will be accompanied by a museum employee. School groups will have a space to do activities and workshops connected to the theme of immigration.

History

The Immigrants’ Inn was opened to receive immigrants who came to Brazil to work. The first guests were Europeans who left their countries invited by the government of São Paulo after slavery was abolished. They came to replace slaves in the coffee crops. These employees came to Brazil by ship, with the tickets paid by the government of São Paulo. They disembarked in the port in Santos, went up the mountain by train and were hosted at the inn before being sent to work in the countryside.

 As the years passed by, the inn received immigrants of over 70 nationalities, among them Syrians and Lebanese. Brazilian people who came to São Paulo were also hosted there in the 1930s. “In the case of Arabs, they came from many places and focused on urban centers and commerce. Portraying Arab culture is a challenge because it is composed of many cultures and we are interested in bringing that to the public”, says the executive director.

After the closing of the Immigration Museum, its management has also changed. The institution belongs to the State Secretariat for Culture, but is run by the Social Cultural Organization for Friends of the Coffee Museum (Organização Social de Cultura Associação dos Amigos do Museu do Café, in Portuguese), which also runs the namesake museum in Santos, on São Paulo’s shore. The managers expect the Immigration Museum to have 500,000 visitors by the end of the year.

For the opening day, immigrant community theatre presentations and dance shows are scheduled, besides a concert by songwriter and singer Arnaldo Antunes. In June and July, the entrance is free. Besides the permanent exhibition, the Immigration Museum will host temporary exhibits.

Service
Immigration Museum
Rua Visconde de Parnaíba, 1.316, Mooca, São Paulo, SP
Reopening scheduled for May 31st
Visiting hours: from Tuesday to Saturday, from 9am to 5pm. On Sundays, from 10am to 5pm. Fortnightly, on Fridays, the institution will be open until 9pm.
For further information: www.museudaimigracao.org.br (in Portuguese)

*Translated by Rodrigo Mendonça