Evoking Students' Cultural Roots Transforms the Classroom, Says Researcher

According to Folha TV and Agencia Brasil, Pernambuco-based artist and researcher Lucas dos Prazeres (age 42) advocates for transforming classrooms by encouraging student participation, daring ideas, and a focus on students' cultural roots and knowledge. He believes play is the foundation of teaching and emphasizes promoting regional cultures so students can connect with their own territories. Law No. 11,645/2008, which mandates the study of Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous history and culture in Brazil's public and private primary and secondary schools, supports dos Prazeres's views. He suggests communities should support education through communal responsibility, as practiced by traditional societies, where childcare extends beyond biological parents. This week, dos Prazeres trained 60 teachers from the Federal District through his "Relearning Through Play" project, which is supported by Caixa Cultural and aims to integrate traditional games into school curriculums. Dos Prazeres emphasizes blending education and identity in an inclusive, antiracist manner that fully represents all students and doesn't limit art to school events. He advocates teaching based on local stories and experiences, stating that culture is everywhere. Dos Prazeres, who was born and raised in Morro da Conceicao, calls the area a nexus of Pernambuco's cultural diversity.

Empowering Education with Local Culture: Dos Prazeres Advocates for Integrated Art and History in Classrooms

Dos Prazeres said his mother, Lucia, and aunt, Conceicao, started a community daycare in 1981. While they received supplies from the state and city, the materials didn't reflect the children's lives; for example, books depicted children visiting their grandfather's farm, but none of the students had relatives with farms. Dos Prazeres also believes that teachers at all levels should integrate art into their classes, even in subjects like the exact sciences, to connect children with their culture and history from the beginning. He argues that school administrators need to recognize local culture as a powerful learning tool that extends beyond performances and parties.