Last month, a long-standing research collaboration between academics at Kent Law School (KLS) and the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Brazil enabled two finalist law students from Kent Law School to attend the UFMG Summer School on Brazilian Studies (SSBS). The Summer School offers students from all over the world an understanding of key aspects of Brazil from distinct perspectives.
Students from KLS have had the opportunity to attend the Summer School virtually and then in person at UFMG’s main campus in Belo Horizonte – the capital city of Brazil’s federal state of Minas Gerais – for the past five years.
Read Roxanne Dougall’s account of the opportunity below:
“Hi everyone, my name is Roxanne Dougall, I attended the summer school in Belo Horizonte, Brazil last month and I can safely say it was one of the best two weeks I have experienced in my life. I have just graduated from The University of Kent with a Law and Philosophy LLB degree achieving Upper second-class honours and am working for a law firm in London which I have been fortunate enough to secure a place in after graduating.
I wanted to share a little about my experience in Brazil doing the summer programme as I have learned so much that I cannot even begin to describe. I was first interested in the experience because I have always wanted to discover more about the law in different countries, how it functions and the differences between legal systems. There are so many aspects of a country that influence its legal system and learning about Brazilian history, geography, culture, art, music, foreign policy and so much more really expanded my views on how connected everything really is. This trip was not only about law but about people, life and the world, and I will try my best to find the words to describe how truly unimaginable it was.
The programme lasted for two weeks in Belo Horizonte, the capital of the state of Minas Gerais, which is around an hour flight from Rio de Janeiro. Before you presume that it’s a small city with not much around it, it is actually very big with a population of 2.4 million people and is a state with a vast history. Throughout the two weeks we had a lecture each day in the morning, and then in the afternoon we had a Portuguese class, for this all the students are separated according to their level so do not worry if you have not spoken any Portuguese beforehand! There were also two field trips, one to the historical town of Ouro Preto and the other to the Open-Air art gallery and botanical garden of Inhotim, which is the largest open-air art centre in Latin America. Both trips were amazing experiences to be able to see the nature in Brazil through the mountains, botanical gardens and parks, but also to immerse yourself fully in history and culture.
The morning lectures covered a wide range of topic areas, but they were all important aspects about Brazil, I will now explain what each day of the trip consisted of:
Day 1 started with Brazilian History with Professor Rafael Scopacasa which was a great start so we could obtain a base of knowledge on Brazil as a country and its past. He discusses the colonial period of Brazil and how it affected the country during slavery, but also about the modernisation of Brazil which involved its Europeanisation of funding immigration to Brazil. This lecture really explored how Brazil has changed so much over time but also how embedded the current world is its past. On day 1 we also had a special session with Ambassador Marco Antonio Nakata who discussed the profession of being a diplomat, Brazilian foreign policy and how it should be interpreted.
Day 2 was with Professor Luis Felipe Cherem on Brazilian Geography, he covered a lot of human geographical aspects of the country, why certain industries occurred in certain areas of Brazil due to their geography and the influence of this. I was particularly interested in the resources Brazil has as a nation and the impact of this on its economy and global presence.
Day 3 was about Society and Race in Brazil with Professor Cristiano Rodrigues which was a great lecture to follow from history and geography. Brazil’s history is rooted in a lot of racial discrimination which is a problem the country is still combatting to this day through its legal system, the Professor explored the reasons for the difficulties because of years of history of slavery and colonialism.
Day 4 was with Professor Danilo Medeiros on Brazilian Politics. Thinking about politics is very important with regards to law as it impacts how the country functions, I was astonished to find out that voting is compulsory in Brazil and the number of constitutions they have had over the years. This made me think about the United Kingdom, how differently it is run from a country like Brazil, and what the positives and negatives are of this.
Day 5 involved a lecture by Professor Vanessa Brasileiro about Brazilian Architecture, this was a very immersive lecture where she presented many different architectural pieces in Brazil especially by Oscar Niemeyer as a key figure. Architecture really does reflect the law on how different buildings are structured with specific functions and meanings that are sometimes made to be projected, especially with religious buildings for example. That same day we watched an amazing movie called “Que Horas Ela Volta?” By Anna Muylaert and it truly captivated me with all the symbolisms and references to the history and social norms of Brazil that desperately needed to change. The filmography was truly amazing, and it was an important statement to be made about Brazilian society and class discrimination.
Day 6 was the day trip to Ouro Preto! We left at 8am and returned after 7pm, the journey was around 2 hours, so I do wish we would’ve spent more time there as it was a truly amazing place. We spent the first part of the trip exploring the museum about the gold extraction in the town during the colonial period, and then we visited the famous soapstone market, many of the amazing churches and a former gold mine! I had an amazing time immersing myself with my friends into this historical town and I would love to go back!
Day 7 was a free day for us to explore the city we were staying in, and me and my friends decided to go to the Feira Hippy, which is a huge market that happens every Sunday, with hundreds of stalls selling everything you could think of. It really is a testament to Brazilian culture, the liveliness and excitement of all the streets. We spent the evening in a local bar watching the final of the world cup with traditional Brazilian live music.
Day 8 was a lecture on Brazilian economy with Professor Renan Almeida, which was a very interesting lecture that informed us about the sugar, gold and now coffee and chocolate trade which Brazil was aiming to capitalise on for many years. It was very surprising to me to hear that Brazilian economy was flourishing during the period of the Wall Street crash, but there have also been many recessions. It forced me to consider how a country with so many resources can be exploited due to historical power factors.
Day 9 was finally a lecture on Brazilian law with Professor Fernanda Versiani, I loved this lecture of course, but it was very interesting as the entire lecture was structured around the Brazilian constitution and how their legal system is governed by it. It made me wonder how countries such as the United Kingdom can possibly function without a written constitution and why it is beneficial. The law is rooted in history and if a country is rooted in conflict, constitutional changes are vital for its survival and growth. That day my Portuguese teacher took a group of us to watch a football match in the city which was such a fun experience!!
Day 10 was a lecture by Luis Carlos Lima on foreign affairs, and this may have been my favour lecture because of how involved he got all of the students in his presentation. The professor asked us what we think Brazil should prioritise as a country, areas of regional security, environment, human rights or perhaps economic development. These are all areas that must be considered to promote foreign policy but also for Brazil to present itself as a powerful and respectable nation.
Day 11 was the day trip to the Inhotim outdoor art gallery, and I loved this trip for the art and history behind it just as much as the amazing botanical garden that it is based inside. It was a magnificent sight to appreciate nature and art together.
Day 12 was the final day of the summer school beginning with a lecture on Brazilian culture by Professor Lucia Campos, while it would have been more accurately been called a lecture on Brazilian music! The Professor got us all involved in some traditional Brazilian music and we had a great time together on this final day. In the afternoon we all had a Luau where different students performed while singing and dancing together! Me and my friends formed a band and performed a few songs, even in Portuguese! We had a great time and finished the Luau with a gift exchange involving gifts from everyone’s different countries.
I must also give a lot of credit to my Portuguese teacher Thiago Santos, over the two weeks we had 8 Portuguese lessons, and I learned so much from him during that time. He elaborated on the lectures while also teaching us how to converse in Portuguese, but he also immersed us in his world of Brazilian culture with music and dance, we even did Capoeira on the last day in the class! It was him and the Brazilian and other students that were involved in the programme that made the experience that much more amazing for me. We were all paired with a Brazilian buddy to show us around and help us with anything we needed and the passion they all had for their culture is what made me fall in love with it too. Speaking to so many different and amazing smart students from all over the world has reminded me I still have so much to learn and how important it is to understand how law is a universal subject which so many different aspects we cannot forget.
I have taken so much from this experience, from a new passion for learning a new language and a fondness for a completely different culture, to a broader understanding of the world and law as the area of my study. I am now working in an area of law that involves many different jurisdictions in different countries, and this experience has now further influenced me to find a bridge between all these systems. So, I really do recommend this experience to absolutely anyone who is interested in learning more about the world and implementing it into their own lives as well as the way the law is seen and should be seen according to what we learn.
Thank you so much to Laura Charleton for nominating me and UFMG for accepting me into this programme I will be forever grateful.”
Many thanks to Roxanne for sharing her experiences and fantastic photos. Special thanks to our colleagues at UFMG for their continued generosity in enabling students from Kent to attend their Summer School.
