The 3rd Conference of the Association for the Study of World African Diaspora (ASWAD), which began on Wednesday, October 5, and ended on Friday, October 7, assembled academics, intellectuals, and researchers on topics related to Afro-descendants, in Rio de Janeiro. This was the first time the event was held in Brazil.
For Júlio César Tavares, coordinator of the event, "the end result is very positive, because it was possible to prod the self-esteem of the Afro-descendant population, especially in the universities, to expand the field of learning on this subject."
Tavares judges that the breadth of the themes that were discussed, ranging from the microeconomics of the African Diaspora to such cultural expressions as literature and music, ensured the success of the meeting.
"An event like this plays an essential role in confirming that education is the sole path that lies before us," he said.
The conference was attended by 600 participants, including representatives of 191 universities from various countries.
ABr