Catherine Walsh is an educator, thinker, and activist intellectual internationally recognized for her commitment to decolonial struggles and praxis. A retired professor from the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar-Ecuador, she has promoted key initiatives such as the doctorate in Latin American Cultural Studies and the Afro-Andean Documentary Fund. With over three decades of work alongside Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, and social movements of Abya Yala, she has published more than 300 texts in various languages. She has been a visiting professor at universities across five continents and has received international awards such as the "Frantz Fanon: Lifetime Achievement" prize. On this occasion, she will participate in the congress’s inaugural lecture, sharing her critical perspective and experience in educational, community, and social transformation processes.