There is a Ghanaian proverb that says “It’s never too late to turn back and take back what was left behind”. In other words, it’s about looking into the past to give new meaning to the present and build a conscious future. In order to deeply unveil the origins of the Brazilian people and rescue genuine treasures, Year 1 is currently looking back to learn about the history, the culture and the wealth of African peoples, which along with indigenous and European peoples, are responsible for forging the identity of each Brazilian native.
Through this project, which we coined “Africa Project”, the children delved deep into the African culture to learn more about Brazilian culture. Dancing, rhythms, myths and legends, and the African-Brazilian worldview that teaches us so much about community, matriarchy, collectivity and the awareness of unity through the concept of “ubuntu” – the notion that “I am because we are”; that we are all one and the same.
The one telling the stories about Africans and teaching the Y1 children about African-Brazilian culture is Aqualtune, a black doll born in Maranhão, named after the grandmother of Zumbi dos Palmares, an African princess. Aqualtune is a doll known as “griot” in its community. In African culture, the term “griot” of French origin means “storyteller” – a role typically assigned to a tribe elder with great ancestral wisdom, according to Year 1 Portuguese language teacher Caroline Carvalho. “Aqualtune is the storyteller in our Project. She tells the kids how she was born in Maranhão and how she has travelled the entire African continent. In a playful, symbolic and meaningful way, she is responsible for conveying this knowledge through letters, pictures, experiences and songs that she shares with the children in Year 1.”
Besides broadening the children’s playful imagination and building the concept of affection, having Aqualtune as the protagonist behind all of this knowledge allows us to address the concept of “place of speech”, created by philosopher Djamila Ribeiro, ensuring visibility, acknowledgment and appreciation of the culture of black people, which will later be added to the presence of black protagonists, such as our teacher Mafuane Oliveira, who specializes in ethnic-racial education, and Masters Ana Maria de Carvalho and Joana do Maracatu from Recife, among others.
Teacher Caroline explains that the project focuses mainly on showing Africa’s massive influence in us Brazilians. “The goal is to show the power of these peoples and how they influenced our culture, through manifestations of African-Brazilian culture: the cacuriá, ciranda, capoeira, tales and cuisine. We’re also reading “Diário de Pilar na África”, “Menina Bonita do Laço de Fita” and other tales, such as the Nigerian “Why The Sky is Far Away”, which talks about waste and how cautious we must be with food, showing the origin of foods that come from Africa and a world of gastronomy that influenced our own cuisine. The idea is always to showcase Brazil’s cultural diversity and the influence of African peoples who arrived here.”
Throughout the project, the children will be invited to present to the be.Living community what they learned about the African-Brazilian culture. According to teacher Carol, these presentations will begin in the second half of the year and may be performed through a booklet (either printed or online) with all tips of cultural manifestations and traditions that they’ve experienced, or through an interactive conceptual map, in the padlet, where everyone can access the information they’ve acquired. “We’re already creating an interactive map with the children, so they have a clearer notion of where these countries are located, where we put all of the new information we learn. The class also learns about the origins and influences of African peoples who arrived in Maranhão, Bahia and across our entire country, in order for them to later share this information with the be.Living community.”
