Saudade is a special word in Portuguese. It can convey, all at once, deep nostalgia, the sadness of departures, and the joy and gratitude for memories of good times. May our spirits unite in saudade of a good man's passing. Professor Cançado Trindade was born in my hometown, Belo Horizonte, a city with a poetic name: "Belo Horizonte" is Portuguese for "Beautiful Horizon". He was educated in an excellent catholic school and did his legal studies at the Federal University of Minas Gerais before

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... ving to Europe to pursue a Master's degree and a Doctorate at the University of Cambridge. I come from a similar background and it was there, at our alma mater in Brazil, that I met Professor Cançado Trindade in person for the first time. By that time, he was already a stellar figure in international law and human rights with, inter alia, all the important records of Inter-American rulings and transformations that we are familiar with. Despite his many international commitments, he would still visit our university from time to time and pay special attention to the students. This was a constant dimension of his trajectory. He was always particularly kind, generous and attentive vis-à-vis students and young professionals throughout his life.