The OU Center for Brazil Studies is virtually hosting its annual symposium which will cover environmental, human rights and democracy issues in Brazil.
According to an Instagram post, the Department of International and Area Studies in the David L. Boren College of International Studies is partnering with the University of Arizona College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the U.S. Network for Democracy in Brazil for the 2021 virtual symposium. This event will be held in three sessions, with keynote speakers and workshops.
The first session, discussing the environment, will be held at 10 a.m. Feb. 26, according to the IAS Symposium page. This event will feature keynote speaker Eloy Terena, the first indigenous lawyer to present and win a case before the Brazilian Supreme Court, and a performance by Cacá Nascimento, Brazilian artist and singer.
According to the page, the human rights session will be held at 10 a.m. March 5 with featured keynote speaker Monica Benício, a human rights activist and member of the Rio City Council.
The last event, covering democracy, will be held at 10 a.m. March 12 according to the page. This session will feature keynote speaker Kennedy Alencar, a Brazilian journalist and BBC documentary producer.
According to the page, the workshops for each subject will be held after their corresponding sessions, giving attendees the opportunity to learn about current events in Brazil.
Center for Brazil Studies directors Fabio and Michelle Morais de Sa e Silva said in an email there will also be discussants from universities including San Diego State, the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin and Rutgers University at the event.
“We believe in cooperation and we are leading an effort to coordinate Brazil Studies Centers and programs in the country to produce better knowledge about, and engagement with Brazil,” Fabio and Michelle Morais de Sa e Silva said in the email.
Fabio and Michelle Morais de Sa e Silva also said in the email this year’s symposium topic was chosen to gain better understanding of the declines in environmental and human rights protection that have emerged in Brazil after Jair Bolsonaro was elected as president in 2018.
“We want to better understand the changes affecting Brazil, but also engage with Brazilians who are confronting and examining this process on the ground. That is why our program features high-profile Brazilian speakers (activists and journalists), as well as academic papers with in-depth studies of our issues of interest,” Fabio and Michelle Morais de Sa e Silva said in the email.
Those who wish to attend any of the 2021 Symposium speeches or workshops can register at the OU Center for Brazil Studies page, according to the Instagram post.
