Hi everyone,
I hope you all are doing well.
Thinking about the most significant parts for me and why, in the reading, I enjoyed being reminded of Freire's history and the different worlds that he navigated. I know he had a challenging political and professional life fighting for a more equitable world in which more people had access to literacy education, and I am always inspired and invigorated by his legacy.
Freire's trajectory (and ours as educators) celebrates resilience. Working towards change in a country like Brazil, with one of the longest dictatorships in the world and with a population that so easily forgets oppression and supports oppression, can be at times frustrating.
The kids' malnutrition and child labor (UNESCO, p. 2) excerpt exemplifies 1) the importance of looking at the broader social structures, observing how the environment's conditions are limiting change. 2) the vital importance of involving parents, the State, and the community to make effective changes, and 3) the need to maintain vigilant eyes to protect the advances that we make.
Early this week, as we celebrated 13-year-old Rayssa Leal's silver medal in the Olympics, a Brazilian congressman, Sóstenes Cavalcante (DEM-RJ), used the opportunity to discourse in favor of child labor. In a Tweet, he said:
“As crianças brasileiras de 13 anos não podem trabalhar, mas a skatista Rayssa Leal ganhou a medalha de prata nas Olimpíadas… Ué! É pra pensar… Parabéns a nossa medalhista olímpica! E revisão do Estatuto da Criança e Adolescente já!”
"The 13-year-old Brazilian children cannot work, but skater Rayssa Leal won the silver medal at the Olympics… Hey! It's for thinking… Congratulations to our Olympic medalist! And revision of the Statute of Children and Adolescents now!"
On top of that, several politicians tried to take pictures with her when Rayssa arrived at her hometown. She refused to take pictures with them, reporting that her mother went to their offices several times to ask for support for sports in the city and was never answered.
I connect this example with what Freire said towards the end of the video about change (or the lack of change). It resonates with me because the misuse of information to defend heavy religions and liberal agendas is prevalent among several politicians. Whenever they can, politicians like Mr. Cavalcante spin reality to promote themselves and, in this example, try to plant a seed for the legalization of child labor and expansion of the working class, while these same politicians enjoy bottomless benefits privileges for themselves and their families.
When Freire said during the interview that he has been curious since he was a young boy and will continue to be curious until he dies, he invites us to wonder about everything. Yes, he is still talking about the same things that he talked about in the beginning, not because Freire has not changed, he has changed, has grown, has learned, has taught, but his core values, core beliefs, and core agenda are still alive and pertinent.
The example I shared above is one of the reasons why his legacy must be continued. We need to maintain vigilant eyes to protect the advances we have made in the past years regarding child labor and malnutrition.
I conclude by quoting the professors in saying that "Freire assumes that the learners must understand their own reality as part of their learning activity. (UNESCO, p. 1)". I hope Rayssa and other children grow up aware of their realities so that they can understand fundamentally who they are and live to that truth. I know that hope without action is only hope. It is fundamental to act. Rayssa's action and the reaction of many Brazilians to Mr. Calvante's Twitter show that we can be vigilant, and by being vigilant, we will not let them fool us.
Viviane