The West Virginia University Office of Multicultural Programs will host the WVU Cultural Attaches Program, “Brazil: The Future is Today!” on Tuesday (Nov. 15) in the Mountainlair.
WVU students, faculty and staff have a unique opportunity to learn about Brazilian culture when representatives from the Brazilian Embassy in Washington D.C. visit the WVU campus. Representatives will discuss the Brazilian culture and the country’s current economic situation. The program is open to the public.
The program will run from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. followed by a Brazilian cultural reception held in the Mountainlair ballrooms from 6 to 9 p.m. and will feature Brazilian food and music. The First Secretary Head of the Cultural and Public Information Section Andre Durham Caciel de Castro will present at the reception.
Ernesto Fraga Ara�jo, Deputy Chief of Mission from the Brazilian Embassy in Washington D.C. will open the program with his presentation “Overview of the Brazilian Economy” at 9:30 a.m. in the Mountainlair Gold Ballroom. Ara�jo’s presentation will be followed by a roundtable from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
“Brazil, as an emerging economy, is fast becoming a strategic location for WVU. This Cultural Attache Program will serve to strengthen our relationship with Brazil as well as the Brazilian Cultural Mission and Embassy”, said Dr. David Stewart, associate vice president for International Student Affairs and Global Services.
There will be exhibits by the WVU Brazilian Student Association, WVU Portuguese Students, WVU Office of International Programs and the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. The WVU Brazilian Ensemble will perform in the Mountainlair food court from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
From 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., the Office of International Programs will sponsor a discussion, “Dialogue on Brazil,” in the Greenbrier Room of the Mountainlair. Study abroad programs and innovative research and faculty initiatives between WVU and Brazilian universities will be discussed.
“Our work in Brazil is broad and ongoing, and the wealth of human, economic and natural resources in that vast and varied nation make it one of WVU’s most important international partners. This visit represents an opportunity to highlight our current and future relations with our many partners in Brazil,” said Michael Lastinger, associate provost for International Academic Affairs.
In addition, the Consulate of Brazil in Washington D.C. will be offering consular services to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Mountaineer Room.
Ara�jo was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and studied literature and linguistics at the University of Bras�lia, and diplomacy at the Brazilian Diplomatic Academy – Instituto Rio Branco.
Ara�jo worked in the Divison for Mercosur Affairs at the Ministry of External Relations from 1991 to 1995. In Bras�lia, Ara�jo was Head of the Division for Services, Investment and Financial Policy (2003 to 2005) and the Division for Extra-Regional Negotiations of Mercosur (2005 to 2007) at the Ministry of External Relations.
From 2007 through July 2010, he was DCM at the Brazilian Embassy in Ottawa. Since then, he has served as minister-counselor at the Brazilian Embassy in Washington D.C., answering for the portfolios of Economic and Trade Affairs, Science and Technology, Innovation, Energy and the Environment.
The WVU Office of Multicultural Programs educates the University community about multiculturalism, diversity and tolerance to cultivate a spirit of respect toward the world and its cultures. It also enhances the understanding and appreciation of different cultures, their history, traditions and current events, which is accomplished through an array of multicultural programming aimed at the broad community. All 50 states and more than 90 countries around the world are represented on the WVU campus.
“The Office of Multicultural Programs is committed to diversity and multiculturalism, and it is the goal of the entire Division of WVU Student Affairs to promote a better understanding of diversity through programs such as the Brazilian Attache Program,” said Ken Gray, vice president for WVU Student Affairs.
For more information call 304-293-0890 or visit http://studentlife.wvu.edu/multiculturalprograms.html.
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ta/11/11/11
CONTACT: Tami Allen, Student Affairs
304-293-5811, Tami.Allen@mail.wvu.edu
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