Latin America at AUB
The American University of Beirut has long shown an interest in Latin American culture, reflected in a wide range of academic, cultural, and artistic events held on campus. Sponsored by the Brazilian Embassy, the Women’s League once hosted an end-of-season celebration featuring a lively percussion concert and a samba performance, while the Presidents’ Club and the Office of Information and Public Relations organized concerts and workshops by Nelson Latif and his band, bringing Brazilian music and dance to AUB’s West Hall. Similarly, the band Trio Raiz and dancer Viviane dos Santos offered audiences a musical journey through Brazil’s regions.
This cultural engagement was further complemented by lectures and seminars exploring migration, identity, and economic ties with Latin America. Highlights included talks by Brazilian Consul Luiz Pedroso on Brazil in a Cup of Tea, Ambassador Eduardo Augusto De Seixas on The Arab Presence in South America, Paulo Pinto on Negotiating Arab and Muslim Identities in Contemporary Brazil, and Jamil Mahuad, former President of Ecuador of Lebanese descent on).
From the Middle East to Latin America and Back Other contributions included Dale Funderbunk on Argentina’s economic lessons and Wendy Kopp on Teach for Lebanon.
AUB also highlighted the Lebanese diaspora in Latin America. At a lecture hosted by the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for American Studies and Research, CASAR, the great-granddaughter of a Lebanese emigrant reflected on The Lebanese Abroad: Leaving and Locating the Levant in Mexican History. In 2011, the university celebrated the achievements of Mark Hamdan, co-founder of Directed, a multinational based in Brazil and Argentina.
Together, these initiatives illustrate AUB’s commitment to fostering dialogue with Latin America, both by celebrating its culture and by exploring the shared histories and contributions of Arab communities across the continent.