The Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) was happy to welcome Emicida to campus last week. Throughout the week, the Brazilian rapper, writer, entrepreneur, and contemporary thinker held a series of pop-up course sessions focusing on Brazilian history, culture and music.
“I have been following Emicida’s career and art for the past 12, [maybe] 10 years, and his music, his productions, have intimately shaped me as a political and social being,” says Tatiana Grinberg Limoncic (Anthropology and History ’25 with three UCIS certificates).
Tatiana translated for Emicida in these sessions, and said that “having the privilege of translating and interpreting his words for others that are not as privileged as I am to understand him in his mother tongue, was a true honor. He …taught me so much about patience and care and love as Revolutionary acts, and in a certain sense, translating as a sharing of knowledge is the same.”
“[The pop-up course] was thought provoking and left me thinking,” says João, a graduate student in Microbiology. “I learned a lot about racial inequality in Brazil – it was really cool to hear the perspective of someone like [Emicida].”
The week of events concluded on Friday with the screening of Netflix documentary Emicida: AmarElo - It’s All for Yesterday, followed by a Q&A session with Emicida, moderated by Keila Grinberg, Director of CLAS.
“I’m still a little bit speechless,” says Emicida. “I haven’t seen the movie for a really long time and, [because of the pandemic], this is the first time I’ve watched it outside of my home. It’s really, really wonderful to dream of what Brazil could become.”
Emicida’s visit to Pitt’s campus comes at a time of celebration for CLAS, as this national research center celebrates decades of excellence in its 60th anniversary of promoting research and teaching about Latin America, the Caribbean, and the diverse diasporic communities of Latin American and Caribbean origin.
“How wonderful it is,” says Keila Grinberg. “I’m very honored to be Director of CLAS at the 60th anniversary.”
In celebration, the center will also highlight the CLAS Seminar and Field Trip Program throughout the year. Since 1972, this program has provided over 600 students with transformative academic and cultural experiences. To mark this milestone, CLAS aims to secure 500 donations of $50 or more, though every contribution makes a meaningful impact, helping to cover essential trip expenses for students.