Tribute to Edgardo “Pipo” Bechara El Khoury
Pipo Bechara El Khoury: an actor bridging the gap between Latin and Arab cultures
From the CLACSO Working Group “Middle East and North Africa” we want to pay a heartfelt tribute to Edgardo “Pipo” Bechara El Khoury , who passed away on March 4, 2021.
Pipo was one of the main architects of intercultural dialogue between the Arab world and Latin America, mainly through film and audiovisual productions.
In 2007, he founded Cine Fértil, an organization dedicated to promoting Arab cinema in Latin America and the Ibero-American world. This initiative aimed to break down real and imagined barriers and increase “mutual understanding between our societies” [1] . Through the organization of various film festivals and series, primarily LATINARAB , he screened the most outstanding contemporary films produced in the Arab world. These traveling exhibitions visited countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Jordan, and Spain.
With this unique work, he found support at the local Argentine level and also from prestigious institutions in Europe, the United States, and Arab countries.
Starting in 2012, with the support of various film institutes in the region, he launched a Latin American and Arab Film & TV Project Bank , aimed at Latin American filmmakers and screenwriters whose projects include documentaries, fiction films, or short films related to the culture and realities of the Arab world . To date, more than fifty films are in development. Simultaneously, he has been organizing the Latin American and Arab Co-production Forum to facilitate financing for these co-productions.
It also added other actions such as the creation of the Fertile Cinema Observatory , intended for the production, compilation and dissemination of research, projects and cultural objects linked to the cultures of both regions; along with Fertile Music , a platform created in the same sense for the generation of musical productions.
As we can see, his initiative, along with an active and solid team, allowed him to make the long-awaited South-South Cooperation a reality.
These remarkable achievements earned him recognition from various national and international organizations and institutions. In 2018, he received the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture for his contribution to the promotion of cultural diversity. In his acceptance speech, Pipo noted:
“We wish to be agents of convergence between our cultures, creating value and meaning, to break down prejudices, decolonize stereotypes and revitalize the centuries-old bridges between our cultures and societies. To mark our times with cooperation, altruism and diversity, to look to the future of our generations with a hopeful outlook” [2].
In the same address to UNESCO, Pipo outlined his plans for the future, which included the creation and development of new institutions and projects such as: a) a Latin American and Arab Co-production Fund; b) the Latin American and Arab Institute for Cultural and Audiovisual Cooperation in Argentina; c) the Arab Film Program for Children and Youth in Schools; d) the Cine Fértil Publishing House; and e) the Latin American and Arab Program and Fund for Gender Projects by Women Screenwriters and Directors. These were his dreams and his vision for the future.
Edgardo also held a degree in Political Science and was part of the teaching and research team at the Institute of Arts and Sciences of Cultural Diversity at the National University of Tres de Febrero. He was also a member of the Al Zeytun Journal Special Group / CLACSO Palestine and Latin America. He had also been a member of the Edward Said Chair of Palestinian Studies.
He also maintained a constant commitment to the Palestinian cause and to the hopes for renewal in the Arab world, through his actions, projects and statements.
His passing fills with sorrow all of us who knew him and shared moments of his life and work. Time will continue to reveal the many fruits of his career.
Our thoughts, tribute, and heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends.
March 5th 2021
CLACSO Working Group
Middle East and North Africa
[1] “Latin Arab: we are Cine Fértil”, at https://www.cinefertil.org/index.php/quienes-somos
[2] “Acceptance speech for the UNESCO Sharjah Prize in Paris”, July 6, 2018; at: https://www.cinefertil.org/index.php/item/97-discurso-de-aceptacion-cine-fertil-premio-unesco
This statement expresses the position of the aforementioned Middle East and North Africa Working Group and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.
