| Brazilian Café مقهى البرازيلية | |
|---|---|
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1937 |
| Closed | After 2003 |
| City | Baghdad |
| Country | Iraq  |
The Brazilian Café (Arabic: مقهى البرازيلية) was one of the most famous and oldest cafés in Baghdad, Iraq. It's notable for its unique European style and significant artistic legacy.[1][2] Located near the Aladdin Cinema, the café also provided Brazilian coffee which it imported from Brazil since the 1940s which was prepared by a specialized worker using machines for preparing steamed coffee. Among its pioneers were former-Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Said and the Iraqi poet Abd al-Wahhab al-Bayati.[3][4]
History
The Brazilian Café was officially opened in 1937 in al-Rasheed Street.[2] At the time of its opening, the café was unfamiliar to the people of Baghdad due to its unique European style. Many of the cafés of Baghdad were traditionally Baghdadi in style which is what made the Brazilian Café stand out. The café, along with the Swiss Café on the same street, was visited by artists and writers who studied in art institutes in Rome, Paris, and many other European cities. The café was the first starting point for the emergence of the modern plastic movement in Iraq, not only this, but it was also the first starting point for the idea of establishing the Union of Iraqi Writers. Pioneers of the café including Abd al-Wahhab al-Bayati, Kazem Jawad, Rushdi al-Amil, and Nizar Abbas as well as many others who joined later applied for a license to form the union.[5] But the Iraqi government at the time, which was tracking the steps of every poet and writer, felt the danger of such a literary gathering. So they ordered the arrest of Hussein Mardan by the secret police, after pictures of his controversial collection "Nude Poems" resurfaced, many writers have been dismissed from their jobs.
The Brazilian Café was also a resting place for college students, the educated class, writers, and poets. It was in this café that a young Jawad Seleem wrote in his memoirs after meeting Polish artists, where he said "Now I know color, now I know drawing." It served coffee and Nescafe that it imported from outside countries since the 1940s, hence the name. The café provided the latest news of politics, literature, and culture, along with newspapers and magazines that were also provided by the café.[1]
After the Iraq War, the Brazilian Café closed its doors and like many of Baghdad's heritage cafés, its building was turned into a commercial store for selling fabrics.
See also
References
- 1 2 "الگاردينيا - مجلة ثقافية عامة - مقاهي بغداد ... ذاكرة المكان وملتقى الثقافة". www.algardenia.com. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
- 1 2 "مقاهي شارع الرشيد في عهدها الذهبي". www.almadasupplements.com. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
- ↑ "الگاردينيا - مجلة ثقافية عامة - من معالم بغداد ايام زمان - مقهى البرازيليه". www.algardenia.com. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
- ↑ "الگاردينيا - مجلة ثقافية عامة - دور السينما في بغداد (ذكريات وشجون)". www.algardenia.com. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
- ↑ "مقاهٍ غير تقليدية في بغداد: المقهى البرازيلية والسويسرية و"الكيت كات" كنماذج ثلاثة". 2020-08-05. Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2023-07-23.