JØRN MEETS GUARANI INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN BRAZIL.

Some days ago Ana Maria (AWE representative, Brazil) and I attended a regular class in Guarani language and culture in the federal university in Porto Alegre. The teacher was Vhera Poty, a young, 22 years old man, Guarani, who taken a high school exam and wanted to study film at the university. See picture.

The next day we visited him in the area of the tribe about 100 km. from the city Porto Alegre, where he lived.

They lived in small houses of bricks or stone or wood– about 180 people- 32 families.
There was a school at a central place with the forms 1-4 and two teachers –one white (Portuguese speaking) living outside and one indigenous teacher speaking Guarani. See picture of the class. The new school buildings and the salaries to the teachers and the school food were provided by the local municipality, as well as a separate house which served as a health clinic.

The area was characterized by people being active with something – some women were weaving baskets producing things which could be sold in the market places of Porto Alegre; the men were building several houses in wood, and they fetched all the material in the forest which surrounded the area. It was evident that they knew the methods and techniques of indigenous house building.

The children attended the school, which also gave them a warm meal at the middle of the day.
Older children, form 5-9, were collected by school busses – with the name eschola – and taken to a nearby regular nearby school.

Around in the village there were strolling freely around groups of chicken, dogs, ducks, pigs, and other animals.

They grew the crops they needed for their existence – bananas, sugar cane, maize, different vegetables.

The money they needed they got from making crafts and weaving baskets, but they did not work outside, with a few exceptions.

They were also like the rest of the indigenous peoples supported by a state Foundation for Indigenous people, in which indigenous people themselves are represented, and which administer social programmes for indigenous peoples.

To sum up: It was a big experience to see the natural harmony between humans, free animals and the nature (fields, the forest), of course, existing within a context of poverty measured by normal Western standards. But the way of life and the social philosophy in the area I visited were clearly determined by age-old traditions and administered by a 7 persons - council from the area, which had to meet the next day under the chairmanship of the young 22 –years old and educated young man, Verah.

Jørn

Paulo Freire ideas about education is still important in Brazil

Wagner and Kirsen discussing Paulo Freires ideas about education

Alphabetization is an important issue when it comes to mobilization of the civil society in Brazil, and we visits schools for adult education in two favela’s in Belem and in the river area close to Saô Domingos do Capim – a smaller city south of Belem.

Mova is a public adult education movement and NEP (Nucleo de educacaô Paulo Freire) is a civic organization, both organizations are in the business of alphabetization based on the ideas of Paulo Freire.

Mova provides school education equivalent to primary school level – and passing the exam (5 level) is necessary if you want to register any kind of private business. But this is not the only reason for signing in. One of the students we speak with wants to continue education in the health sector others are there just to educate themselves and being part of the community in the evening classes. Wagner Magno – their teacher – stresses the importance of enlightenment and empowerment. Everybody need to see the possibilities for improving their own life, nobody benefits from sitting and waiting for the government to do something for them. We need to find our own way out of poorness and suppression.

Sâo Domingos do Capim

Saturday morning meeting with the alphabetization team

It is the same attitude we find in the rainforest Saturday morning, where we are meeting the volunteers working with alphabetization in the river region around Saô Domingos do Capim. Pascaô is one of the volunteer’s, he is organizing landless people and he is educating him selves as teacher in the NEP- alphabetization program. “I am here, because I need to know more about the society and how issues are connected”, he stresses, “But the school is also a refuge, where you can enjoy a moment of community, a place, where someone’s are wise and everybody can participate”.

The school is a refuge, where you can enjoy a moment of community

Sergio Xorrêa is coordinator of NEP-activities in the area. He is born in Saô Domingos do Capim, he has studied at the university and he is a member of Salomaô’s research team. He knows the importance of a sustainable development of the rain forest. But he blames the University for doing too little research about how people can improve their daily way of living. There is money enough in research about intensive exploration of the forest where big companies are involved, but when it comes to small-scale development, there is no interest or resources for research. But it is positive, that land claims has been easier for the cooperative movements, and the parliament has now decided, that only 20% of the forest can be used for development in big scale.

Amazonas - Sâo Domingos do Capin