Carlos Alberto Aguilar Cáceres, a predoctoral researcher at JOVIS and CRITICC, participated in the 12th Iberian Congress of African Studies (CIEA 12), "African Responses to the Decolonial Dilemma," recently held in Barcelona. As part of the panel “Education in an Interconnected World: Liberation Experiences in the Global South,” he presented the paper titled: “Communicating and Decolonizing: Communication for Development and Social Change and Decoloniality in Westernized Universities.” His presentation focused on the experiences of Mexico as a Global South country and his predoctoral thesis project.

Following his presentation, a dialogue panel was held with other prominent researchers, including Camila Andrade, Celso Fernando Braga Rosa, and Aline Cristina Gabriel, moderated by Jessemusse Cacinda. The discussion emphasized the importance of education and decoloniality as tools for social transformation in the Global South.

The CIEA 12 gathered 400 speakers and 800 attendees from 54 countries. It highlighted how colonial legacies, still present today, can materialize into diverse solidarities to foster global social cohesion. The congress also hosted the first assembly of the new Iberian Network of African Studies, a platform for international academic dialogue.