Unesco Showcases 'Arab Latinos! Shared Roots, Shared Horizons' In Doha

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Building on the enduring cultural and historical connections between the Arab world and Latin America and the Caribbean, Unesco organised the“Arab Latinos! Shared Roots, Shared Horizons” event at the United Nations House in Doha.
The gathering highlighted the need to foster sustainable South–South solidarity and mutual support in the face of today's global challenges, while also showcasing how literature, archives, and cinema can advance inclusive narratives, promote intercultural dialogue, and contribute to peacebuilding.
The event brought together representatives of more than 32 embassies alongside academics and cultural leaders, underscoring broad international support for the Arab Latinos! initiative and its role in strengthening cultural cooperation between regions.
''Arab Latinos! is not only a celebration of this legacy, but also a strategic platform for South-South co-operation, echoing the spirit of the United Nations Day for South-South Co-operation,” said Salah Khaled, the Unesco representative to the Gulf States and Yemen and director of Unesco Office in Doha.
“Through education, culture, the sciences, and communication, this initiative seeks to foster inclusive dialogue, collaborative knowledge production, and solidarity across regions of the South,” he said.“Through this event, we are proud to contribute to the Qatar-Argentina-Chile 2025 Year of Culture.”
The first roundtable discussion on Al-Mahjar focused on the literary heritage of Arab migrants in Latin America and emphasised the importance of preserving the archives of Arab Latinos.
Refqa Abu-Remaileh, associate professor in residence at Northwestern University in Qatar, and Tan Huism, executive director of the Qatar National Library, stressed that the preservation, documentation, and accessibility of these sources require the co-ordinated engagement of governments, national institutions, academia, and civil society.
In a second roundtable,“Cinema as a Bridge”, experts retraced the history of the Arab Latinos cinema and its powerful medium for promoting intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding.
Prof Geraldo de Campos from the Department of International Relations at the Federal University of Sergipe in Brazil and Christian Mouroux, the director of the LatinArab International Film Festival in Buenos Aires, illustrated how LatinArab co-productions create opportunities for collaborative storytelling that reflect diverse identities and self-narratives.
These partnerships enrich artistic expression, transcend borders, and challenge stereotypes, thereby advancing South-South solidarity co-operation in line with Unesco's mission of promoting international co-operation through its fields of expertise.
Building on the exchanges, participants emphasised the importance of advancing the Arab Latinos! initiative through concrete follow-up actions, including expanding access to archives, fostering cultural exchanges, and reinforcing bilateral co-operation between national institutions Arab Latinos! Shared Roots Shared Horizons United Nations House in Doha

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