Members of the Lebanese community march and wave flags in downtown São Paulo on July 23, 2006. (Credit: AFP)
At 74, Roger Basile is still working. In his law office in Rio de Janeiro, he shows little inclination to retire. “What would I do? Stay at home?” Born in Jbeil, this Lebanese-Brazilian moved to Brazil in 1970, aged 18, and still owns an apartment in his hometown. For years, he imagined spending his retirement there. Unlike many others in Brazil’s Lebanese diaspora, whose ties to their country of origin have weakened over generations, Basile has visited Lebanon every year. In Rio, he heads the National Confederation of Lebanese-Brazilian Associations, which brings together around 170 organizations and clubs. But Lebanon’s successive crises have gradually thwarted his plans for the future. “No water, no electricity, no security,” he says, a stark summary of Lebanon’s deep-rooted problems. From Rio, Basile, who now considers himself “more...
At 74, Roger Basile is still working. In his law office in Rio de Janeiro, he shows little inclination to retire. “What would I do? Stay at home?” Born in Jbeil, this Lebanese-Brazilian moved to Brazil in 1970, aged 18, and still owns an apartment in his hometown. For years, he imagined spending his retirement there. Unlike many others in Brazil’s Lebanese diaspora, whose ties to their country of origin have weakened over generations, Basile has visited Lebanon every year. In Rio, he heads the National Confederation of Lebanese-Brazilian Associations, which brings together around 170 organizations and clubs. But Lebanon’s successive crises have gradually thwarted his plans for the future. “No water, no electricity, no security,” he says, a stark summary of Lebanon’s deep-rooted problems. From Rio, Basile, who now considers...
