Brazil’s ambassador visits Cambridge University Brazilian Society
The Brazilian ambassador, Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, met with the Brazilian student community in Cambridge during a visit to deliver a talk titled The Foreign Policy of Brazil at Peterhouse.
The ambassador was invited to Cambridge by the Centre for Geopolitics and asked to meet students.
The Cambridge University Brazilian Society (CUBS) was contacted and the meeting organised at the venue which contains the famed bust of Paulo Freire. The conversation was hosted at the Faculty of Education just before the ambassador’s talk and welcomed by the Head of Faculty, Dr Hilary Cremin.
The discussion was chaired by three Brazilian women at Cambridge: Dr Haira Gandolfi, a lecturer at the Faculty of Education; myself, Anna Maria Del Fiorentino, a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Education and Academic Events Officer for CUBS; and Dr Larissa de Freitas Lyth of the Faculty of History.
After introductions, the ambassador gave a talk, which was not significantly different from the one he presented afterward at Peterhouse, primarily focusing on Brazil's foreign policies.
Domestically, the ambassador highlighted the existence of four ministries in Brazil with mandates focused on human rights: the Ministry for Indigenous Peoples, led by Indigenous leader Sonia Guajajara; the Ministry for Racial Equality; the Ministry for Women, focusing on gender equality; and the Ministry for Human Rights and Citizenship.
On the international stage, in what the ambassador referred to as a shifting world order, he emphasised Brazil's commitment to 'civilisational causes' and the adoption of Humanism, prioritising democracy, sustainability, and peace. Describing Brazil’s position during times of war and widespread breaches of human rights as 'a somewhat solitary voice in the international arena', his words resonated with the voices of many students at Cambridge and across other hegemonic universities worldwide.
João Gabriel Archegas, president of the Brazilian Society for 2024/2025 and LLM candidate at the Law Faculty, said: “We were all very happy and truly delighted to host the ambassador in the University.
“The meeting at the Faculty of Education helped bridge the gap between students and Brazil’s diplomatic mission in the UK, while the event hosted by the Centre of Geopolitics helped put Brazil’s foreign policy in the central stage of the discussion in the University.
“The events were a success, and we hope that this continuing partnership with the ambassador can improve the situation of Brazilian students in the university and the way that our country is perceived in our academic community.”
More than 60 people attended the talk - half in person, half online. Alumni Dr Alexandre da Trindade kindly assisted in broadcasting the event live.
Find out more here about the Cambridge University Brazilian Society.
