On Friday, June 14th, the incredible journey and achievements of the 2022 cohort graduates of the Human Security programme were celebrated! 🎉

Ana Debora Da Silva Lana, representing the Human Security student body, delivered an inspiring speech on the transformative power of knowledge and the responsibility that comes with an education in Human Security.

In her speech, Ana introduced the graduates, their family members and the staff to the Portuguese word Saudade, which captures the bittersweet longing for cherished moments. From dinners, Christmas parties, and Friday bars to football matches and commutes to campus, these memories will always stay in the hearts of the graduates. We will all definitely feel saudade for the connections and friendships formed through group work, the coffee-sipping corridor conversations, the thought-provoking discussions in and out of class, the stunning campus surrounded by forest and sea, and perhaps even the sound of chairs dragging across the lecture room floor.

Thank you Ana, for the lovely speech, and cheers to the 2022 cohort – we wish you all the very best in your future adventures!

You can read Ana’s speech in full below:

Hi! Good afternoon everyone. Faculty members, guests, proud families and friends, and most importantly, graduates of the Human Security and Anthropology Masters programs, Welcome!

My name is Ana,  I am part of the Human Security student body, and it is an honor to speak in front of each and everyone of you, beautiful intelligent people. I came to study here all the way from the country of  Brazil, and, for me doing a master’s at Aarhus University is an extremely rare and valuable opportunity, especially because in my country less than 1% of the population has the opportunity to obtain such a degree, and to do it in a University with such a  high quality of education is truly life-changing. So thank you for allowing me to be here and I hope that more people from my side of the planet get to experience this as well.

Acknowledgments

First, I think we should express our gratitude to the dedicated faculty who have guided us throughout the program, the administration, and our course coordinator for their efforts to ensure an engaging, dynamic, and cozy (as Christian likes to say) atmosphere. Let’s give the University staff a big round of applause!

For my Human Security colleagues, when reflecting on our journey, I’m sure we all recall the challenging but rewarding coursework, the weekly engaging discussions where were encouraged to express our thoughts and bring to class the knowledge we possess from our diverse backgrounds.

We are a group of  Internationalists, like me, Biologists, Social workers, Political Scientists, Philosophers, anthropologists, and journalists to name just a few fields that – despite coming from different contexts, decided to enter this course with a shared desire to work toward every individual’s right to live with freedom, dignity, peace, and of course, security.

Understanding Human Security

Many people have never heard of our field, so I decided to use this opportunity to let our friends and family in on what it is that we do and what we have learned, in a very summarized way, don’t worry.

So, Consider the global challenges we face: climate change, pandemics, conflicts, and humanitarian crises. Our education has equipped us with the knowledge and tools to comprehend and help tackle these issues head-on. We have learned that true security comes from addressing the structural and root causes of these problems and not only treat the symptoms of these issues.

We have learned to think critically about violence, peace, and justice. We know how to mediate conflicts in practice and pragmatically develop projects to counter the devastating effects of environmental degradation. Most importantly, we have learned how to think holistically and strategically about food, health, community, economic,  environmental political, and personal security. So, NGOs, Un Bodies, Government agencies, the private sector, and farms,  please hire us! 

Remembering Good Moments

When I think back on the time we spent together on this campus, around the city, and in each other’s homes, I have a hard time finding a word in the English language to describe the feelings these memories bring up. So if it’s ok with you,  I will use a Portuguese word instead that has no translation, and the word is Saudade. Saudade is a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound longing for an absent something or someone. It carries a mix of feelings, such as bittersweetness, and the desire to re-live a moment with the understanding and acceptance that the object of longing might never return or be experienced again. I know it sounds sad, but Saudade is not a bad feeling, it is a recognition that what we had was good and that the memories of this will always be kept in our hearts so that, despite not being able to experience this again, we can always revisit the positive feeling that we had when it was happening.

I know that once this journey comes to an end we will all feel saudade, of the dinners, Christmas parties, Friday bars, after-class video games organized by our wonderful social committee, the Foosball matches in the campus, and even the very long 18 bus ride, where we all had the time to get to know each other a bit more.

We will feel saudade of the group works, that helped us form connections and friendships. The short corridor conversations between sips of coffee during lecture breaks, of our beautiful campus, surrounded by the forest and the sea, and we will even feel saudade of the sound of chairs dragging across the lecture room floor, even if some of us were very vocal about hating the sound.

Many of us will venture into other nations and start new adventures, but we will always be connected by our Saudade. And, on a side-note, if you are ever in Brazil, there is your home as well.

Looking Ahead

As we go into the professional world we, Human Security graduates, have the responsibility to implement actions that protect and empower those furthest left behind. Upon graduating in this masters, our biggest desire must be that our work brings the world closer to the day we no longer need this field to exist. There is a long road ahead, but today we take a significant step in that direction.

Closing

And to close off this speech let’s remember the words of an important contemporary thinker and philosopher of our generation: Lady Gaga, who once said: You are on the right track, baby. 

 So Here’s to the future!

Thank you so much for the attention and for being here today and once again, congratulations cohort!