(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Qatar was the first in the Gulf to become the country of honour at the 18th Belem Book Fair, the biggest literary event in the north of Brazil, which concluded yesterday.
The 10-day fair honoured Qatar under the theme 'Qatar € A Window to the Arab world'.
It featured a Qatari wedding, attended by about 2,000 people, henna, Arabic calligraphy and a Qatari tent, among others.
The 18th Pan-Amazonian fair from May 30 to June 8 was organised by Qatar Museums, the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Qatar Foundation, the Government of Para, the Special Secretariat for Social Promotion and the Brazilian Ministry of Culture.
The decision to honour Qatar follows the visit of H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Founder and Chairperson of Education Above All Foundation, to the Prefeitura de Parauapebas school in the indigenous Xikrin community in the village of Djudjeko in the northern Para region last September.
The visit aimed at examining education systems in isolated and indigenous communities and learn about challenges they face.
In his speech at the opening of the fair, Qatar's Ambassador Mohammed Al Haiki said: "We feel as though we are among family and friends in Brazil."
He spoke about 'Catar: uma janela para o mundo árabe' (Qatar: a window into the Arab world) during a conference.
"I am discussing the importance of Qatar-Brazil relations, and books as a means to gaining knowledge in various fields, and bringing nations closer to one another," he said.
Rafah Barakat, Head, Qatar Brazil 2014 Year of Culture, gave a presentation on Qatari women in contemporary society.
Brazilian writer of Lebanese descent, Milton Hatoum, this year's honorary writer, was present.
Paulo Chaves, Secretary of Culture, State of Para, described Qatar as a country which strongly believes and invests in education and culture, a model to be followed by Brazil.
The Qatari tent at the centre of the fair attracted about 40,000 visitors every day. Cultural workshops entertained visitors with Qatari traditions such as henna, gahwa, machbous dish and dates, music and abaya design, among others.
More than 200 people visited the tent daily to have their names written in Arabic calligraphy and women to have henna on their hands. Educational sessions to discover more about Qatari culture were popular among schools.
Qatar's presence at the fair made a huge impact not only on local and regional media, but also on national TVs which aired programmes from the Qatari tent.
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