The Brazilian launch of Professor Isis Barra Costa's *Imagining the Past, Remembering the Future: Forms of Knowledge in the Afro-Brazilian Diaspora* (Columbia University Press, 2026) brought together scholars, artists, students, and community members on Leme Beach in Rio de Janeiro for an evening celebrating Afro-Atlantic cultures, knowledge traditions, and international collaboration.

Organized by the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), the event was held in a kiosk overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and featured conversations with Professor Zeca Ligiéro (UNIRIO) and Professor Lucio Sanfilippo (UERJ), alongside performances of sacred and secular Afro-Brazilian music, including Candomblé and Umbanda songs, as well as jongo, which was also danced during the event.

The gathering reflected the central themes of the book by bringing together scholarship, performance, memory, and community in a space overlooking the Atlantic, highlighting the importance of cultural exchange across the African diaspora.

The event was organized by UFRRJ in collaboration with scholars and artists from several Brazilian institutions, including the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), INES, and the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi.

The Department of International Relations and Interinstitutional Affairs (DRII) at UFRRJ has also published a feature highlighting the event and the growing cooperation between UFRRJ and The Ohio State University, including ongoing efforts to establish a Memorandum of Understanding between UFRRJ and Ohio State's Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

This collaboration represents another step in strengthening the academic relationship between the two universities, expanding opportunities for future cooperation in research, teaching, graduate education, and international exchange.

The UFRRJ feature