On Friday, May 17, former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was awarded eight honorary doctorate degrees in Argentina. The universities of Cuyo, San Juan, Córdoba, La Plata, Tres de Febrero, Lanús, San Martín and the Latin American Social Sciences Faculty all awarded degrees to the former president during a ceremony held in the Argentine Senate.To download high-resolution photographs, visit Instituto Lula’s Picasa.
In his speech, Lula recalled that the first diploma he received was that of a lathe operator, which made his mother very proud. “The pride that I felt receiving my first diploma was as great as the pride I felt upon receiving my second – which was that of President of the Republic,” he recalled. Lula said that the eight degrees that he received recalled the same emotions for him.
“These degrees are not awarded just to Lula, but are also given in recognition of the decade of democratic transformations that Brazil, Argentina and all of the Latin American countries have experienced,” he said. He recalled the crucial role of “his colleague Néstor Kirchner” in this process and dedicated the honors to the former Argentine President: “Néstor, these degrees are also for you.”
Former president Lula also spoke of the importance of Latin American Integration, one of the projects of the Institute that he founded. “We must work together to bring down the barriers that separate us and built the bridges that unite us,” he said. He encouraged greater cooperation between Brazilian and Argentine Universities and praised the professors and students in Argentine Universities that fought against the military dictatorship. Lula spoke of the crucial role of Brazil – Argentine relations in [Latin American] integration and said jokingly that Argentina could not do in the World Cup what Boca Juniors did with Corinthians the previous Wednesday or there would be a great problem with integration.
Lula ended his speech by talking about the international crisis. “The countries that are in the middle of this crisis are the same ones that say they know how to solve the problems in my country,” he said. He spoke of the lack of weight given to the decisions of the multi-lateral organizations and said: “one of the big problems we face is the lack of political decisions due to the lack of political leaders.” He concluded by saying that one way out of the crisis is: “to devote less money to saving the banks and more money to saving human lives.”
Senator Daniel Filmus, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign and Cultural Relations of the Argentine Senate, made an opening statement in which he declared that the degrees were being awarded to “a man who had struggled to overcome adversity.” He also said that for the first time that Argentina was enjoying 30 years of uninterrupted democracy. Filmus recognized that Argentines had been taught for years to fear Brazil and that Lula had played an important role in overcoming this image. “Today, except for soccer, there are no great disagreements,” he joked.
The Senator concluded his speech by talking about the importance of the constant and unique struggles of man and said that Lula is “a man who is essential for Brazil, for the most disadvantaged among us, a man for those who fight for world peace, for Argentina and for all of Latin America.”
The eight Deans gave their Diplomas to Lula and the Vice President of Argentina, Amado Boudou awarded Lula the Honorable Mention: Domingo Faustino Sarmiento. Boudou stressed the importance of the development of a Latin American body of thought and recalled the historic decision by Lula and Néstor Kirchner to reject membership in ALCA and choose regional integration instead.
Meeting with the Deans? Prior to the ceremony, Lula met briefly with the deans of the universities that awarded the degrees. Lula opened the meeting by saying what an honor it was to receive the degrees but also acknowledged the responsibility that it carries. Each one of the University administrators spoke about their local realities and about the reasons for choosing to honor the former president of Brazil. Carlos Ruta, the dean of the University of San Martín, said that Lula is a “symbol for our young people, who need examples of dignity.” Vice President Amado Boudou spoke of the importance of the act for the “struggle against intellectual colonialism, which is perhaps the most profound form of colonialism.” Lula cited two revolutionary programs in Brazilian education: ProUni and the approval of the quota program, which permits more democratic access to education.
The Latin American Initiative ? The Lula government (2003-2010) promoted a reconfiguration of Brazil’s foreign policy, increasing trade with diversified partners on all continents. In this process, the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean played an important role from the beginning. While he was president, Lula made 114 visits to countries in the region, which led to a four-fold increase in the trade balance with the region, which jumped from about R$2 billion, in 2002, to R$8 billion (é USD ou BRL?) in 2010. Both imports and exports increased during the time of the Lula government.
The Lula Institute works on behalf greater Latin American integration, with an integration process that is not limited to trade and not asymmetric, but which could make Latin America and the Caribbean a power center, consistent with new world geopolitics, in a world that is no longer bipolar. The challenges are countless and range from bureaucratic to logistical difficulties with the transportation infrastructure of the Continent.
