Pá tudú povô bili uê: caminhos e sentidos da alfabetização de adultos em São Tomé e Príncipe com Paulo Freire

Abstract

Fifty years ago, in 1975, São Tomé and Príncipe, an African island country, gained its independence from Portugal. The majority of its population did not have access to formal education, and after its emancipation, adult literacy was taken on as an important task by the government of the São Tomé and Príncipe Liberation Movement (MLSTP). "Pá tudú povô bili uê" is an expression in the Forro language, one of the country's national languages, meaning "for all the people to open their eyes." It appeared in various reports on the topic and expressed the desire of the campaigns to use literacy as a tool to help people read and act upon the world – although another interpretation of the phrase could be vigilance, being alert for enemies, real or imagined, of the single-party government that ruled the country from 1975 to 1990. Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, who was exiled in Switzerland, provided advisory work to the São Tomé government in adult literacy – he visited the archipelago seven times between 1976 and 1979. With Freire's involvement, through the World Council of Churches, the process gained greater scope and systematization. Even after the educator returned to Brazil, Freire continued to contribute to the area, but the advisory work was carried out by other members of the Institute of Cultural Action, of which he was one of the founders. This thesis sought to understand the history of the paths and meanings of adult literacy in São Tomé and Príncipe during the period of the MLSTP’s single-party rule, without being limited to this historical framework. The phases of literacy campaigns were periodized, as different motivations for the topic were identified, and in each phase, understandings of education gained different meanings. The influence of Paulo Freire and the role of his ideas in the formulation and execution of public literacy policies in post-independence São Tomé and Príncipe were analyzed, understanding historically his participation and how Freire’s ideas and “method” influenced the campaigns – both in practice and discourse. The study aimed to understand his participation in this country, which is briefly mentioned in studies about the author, where many acknowledge the relevance of his time in São Tomé, but few have dedicated themselves to deepening studies on literacy actions during the historical period considered. The thesis relied on sources and experiences conducted in various territories. The researcher lived for a year and a half on the island of São Tomé, where she interviewed participants who had worked on literacy efforts over time, conducted research in historical archives, and developed a research group in partnership with the University of São Tomé and Príncipe. A six-month Ph.D. visiting period in Portugal allowed for the expansion of research, both bibliographically and through historical sources, also utilizing the archives of the World Council of Churches in Switzerland.