Nicola Aslan: A Brazilian Mason

Nicola Aslan - (1906-1980)

Born on June 8, 1906, on the Greek island of Chios, Nicola Aslan, however, was the son of Italians - Peter Aslan and Josefina Carneri - and considered himself a "citizen of the world", since they thought that Italians have the ability to fit in everywhere, taking root in any land that welcomes them, where their children are born and they choose as their homeland.

Although born on the Greek island, he share the Italian nationality of his parents for a prosaic reason: the island of Chio was under Turkish rule at the time of his birth, and the practice then prevented the nationalization of foreigners; so the children of foreigners had to take their parent's nationality.

Nicola Aslan and his brother were entrusted to the care of their maternal grandfather, Salvador Carneri with the advent of the First World War (1914), when the professional demands of his parents separated parents and children for 5 years. It was only possible for them to reunite in 1919. The postwar difficulties were enormous for the family of Nicola Aslan but despite the hardships and sufferings, he managed to finish the equivalent of a Master's degree, it not being possible for him to fulfill the paternal wishes who wanted formed in dentist or doctor. He was Intelligent and witty, however, and at 17 years got a good job in the Imperial Bank (Banque Imperiale Ottoman), at which time he already spoke Greek, French, Italian, English and Turkish.

After 23 years with the political difficulties of the Turkish regime, he lost his job, and found no opportunities in the Turkish capital, Ankara, Nicola Aslan emigrated to Brazil in 1929, penniless but full of hopes. Without knowing the language, the difficulties of adjusting were huge, but he learnt Portuguese by reading newspapers on trams, performing activities in commercial offices, giving French lessons, culminating (professionally) with a career in commercial representation.

In 1941, he married Dona Guiomar Barroso Aslan, who gave him sons Italo Barroso Aslan (former Grand Master Adj. GOIRJ Do) and Aslan Licy Drumond.

He joined Freemasonry in 1956, at 50 years of age, in Lodge Evolution, in the Orient of Niterói. This Lodge had originally belonged to the Grand Orient of Brazil, but later came under the control of the Grand Lodge of the State of Rio de Janeiro.

He became Exalted Master Mason on 01/03/1957, completed all of the Masonic Degrees filossofismo, having completed Grade 32 on 05/15/1972.

He was widely known as a supporter of Masonic Culture, which he devoted himself to, participating in many major events related to it. He was elected several times for different positions, and also received numerous honorary degrees (enough to complete about three pages).

After only two years within Freemasonry (1958), he wrote a work of great importance in Brazil and was recognized as one of the greatest and most renowned Masonic writers and lexicographers of the Portuguese speaking world, and his work GREAT Encyclopedic Dictionary  "HISTÓRIA DA MAÇONARIA, Cronologia, Documentos" (History of FREEMASONRY, Chronology, Documents) published by Editora Espiritualista Ltda. has been praised by the Masonic Academy of Letters has been compared to the work of Albert Mackey.

In 1972, he helped found the Masonic Academy of Letters, eventually coming to occupy Cadeira No. 06, whose patron Gonçalves Ledo, left an enviable library!

Nicola Aslan died on May 2, 1980.
 
Source:  O Pesquisador Maçônico Nº: 27 / Nov.-Dez./2003, Informativo Cultural Bimestral da SOCIEDADE DE ESTUDOS ANTHERO BARRADAS e ARLS Renascimento Nº: 08 – Cabo Frio (RJ); Registrado na ABIM sob o Nº: 060-J, Rua Nicola Aslan, 133 – Braga.