The Palestinian diaspora in the Latin American country of Chile has had a stamp of its own in shaping an Arab identity largely flavored by the aromatic zest of the Palestinian character.
Chilean academics from Palestinian descent often corroborate the vital role played by the Palestinian community in forging an Arab identity in the metropolitan South American country of Chile.
Palestinians’ involvement in the process of Arab self-fashioning in Chile draws its very force from the history of oppression long endured by the Palestinians all the way throughout their struggle for national liberation.
Political media and education institutions have also had a lion’s share in such a process of self-identification.
Speaking with the PIC founder of the Arab School in the southern Chilean city of Concepcion Milio Gidi Samour said the Arab institutions have played a vital role in entrenching the love of Palestine in the learners’ hearts and souls.
He referred to such activists as Ziad al-Aloul and Yasser Qadoura as the icons of pro-Palestine activism overseas.
“The love of Palestine is inculcated in the minds of the Chilean national since his early years at school via educational curricula that aim to strengthen the Palestinian culture and civilization in the learners’ conscience until he/she reaches a stage where learning Arabic becomes both a necessity and a need to better grasp the cross-cultural output” Samour explained.
He added that the number of pupils enrolled at the Arab School has hit 500 up from seven only when the school was first inaugurated.
According to Samour though the Arab School syllabuses are particularly but not exclusively taught in the Spanish language administrators have always tried to carve out a space for the Arab language by dedicating one day per every single week to teach and communicate in Arabic so as to foster identification with the Arab and Palestinian culture.
Music gastronomy and folklore often make the hub of such an exclusively-Arab weekly day.
“Al-Koufiya the Palestinian headscarf is part and parcel of our school uniform” added Samour.
However the teaching staff pointed out a set of lacunas with which the school has been grappling since its inception mainly as far as teaching/learning the Arabic language and the Palestinian history/geography are concerned.
“The launch of the Arab School in Chile is a realistic reference to its inherently Palestinian essence for 90% of the Arab community in Chile are of a Palestinian descent” said Samour.
Samour further acknowledged the role played by the Palestinian diaspora overseas saying that Palestinian refugees stand today as the icons of self-determination iron will and perseverance in all academic and political fields across the globe.
The Arab School in Concepcion was founded in the 1970’s. It uses Spanish as the official language of classroom instruction with a weekly recourse to Arabic.
