Published 06/06/2025 15:18 | Edited 06/06/2025 16:07
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) was honored this Friday (6) by Paris 8 University with the title of Doctor Honoris Causa. Located on the outskirts of the French capital and marked by the May 1968 contesting spirit, the institution recognized Lula’s role in promoting social justice through education.
“Today’s tribute is not just personal recognition. It is a reunion with values that shaped my life: social justice, education as a tool for emancipation and commitment to those who have always had to fight for voice and space,” Lula said in a speech.
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During the ceremony, marked by Brazilian musical performances and the presence of teachers, students and academic leaders, the university president, Arnaud Laimé, highlighted the social impact of educational policies promoted in petist governments. For him, Lula is a symbol of a political project of profound social transformation and the desire to build more just and sustainable societies.
I receive, with immense joy, the title of Doctor Honoris causa granted by Paris University 8. It is an honor to be the second Brazilian Brazilian, placing me alongside a great thinker and philosopher Marilena Chauí. Today’s tribute is not just personal recognition. AND… pic.twitter.com/ZDaT8fMFM0
– Lula (@lulaoficial) June 6, 2025
Laimé also handed Lula a work with leaves of Jequitibá, one of the largest Brazilian native trees, as a resilience metaphor. “This image leads us to think of our relationship with the environment, nature and many of these themes with which the Lord works,” he said.
In his speech, Lula traced a parallel between his political trajectory and the origin of Paris 8, created in response to the 1968 social struggles. “I forged my trajectory in defending the rights of the most vulnerable. This university was born from the hope and courage of the French people (…) by a more accessible, critical and connected to social realities,” he said.
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The president also cited programs such as Fies, Prouni, the creation of federal universities and the quota policy as Marcos in the democratization of teaching in Brazil. “It was necessary that a metallurgist without university diploma came to power by popular vote to change this reality. (…) With President Dilma Rousseff, we approved the Affirmative Action Law that changed the face of the graduates of Brazilian universities,” he said.
Professor Delphine Leroy stressed the importance of quotas and the presence of Brazilian indigenous doctoral students at the university. “The quota policy that the Lord has managed to impose in higher education allows these exceptional encounters that open our spirits and mess with our representations,” he said.
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Lula also spoke of the creation of the Latin American University (Unila), Afro-Brazilian University in Ceará and new projects to an indigenous university and another focused on sport. He highlighted the Bolsa Athlete program, which supported almost 100% of Brazilian medalists in Paris Games.
For the president, academic cooperation between Brazil and France needs to remain strong. “Every year, thousands of students, researchers, artists and entrepreneurs circulate among our countries. They exchange ideas, build bridges and sow innovation,” he said, referring to student exchanges. He concluded: “Only knowledge can break the currents of inequality and build fairer societies.”
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Source: vermelho.org.br
