When Teaching Portuguese is Also Welcoming

In the article “For a Critical, Intercultural, and Anti-Racist Education: A Freirean Conception for the Teaching of Portuguese as a Language of Welcome,” researchers Eliane Silva and Júlia Batista Alves bring up an urgent contemporary Brazilian topic for debate: how to teach Portuguese in a way that the language serves not only as a tool, but as a refuge, source of belonging, and emancipation for Brazilian and immigrant students, especially in border cities like Foz do Iguaçu.

The study starts from a powerful premise: democratic education cannot exist without confronting the racism, sexism, and xenophobia that permeate the school environment. Inspired by Paulo Freire and Catherine Walsh, the authors argue that language instruction must assume a political role—not a partisan one, but one that is profoundly human—by recognizing the subjects who arrive in the classroom and the historical violence they carry.

One of the most thought-provoking insights of the article is the proposal to work with literature by Latin American women, including Black and marginalized authors, as a strategy to promote critical literacy among Brazilian and Spanish-speaking students. In the very first activity, texts such as Gritaram-me Negra! (They Shouted Black at Me!), by Victoria Santa Cruz, are used as a gateway for powerful conversations about identity, racism, and resistance.

Another highlight is the choice of Slam—spoken, collective, and performative poetry—as a methodology to create environments for safe expression and sharing among young people of different nationalities. The authors demonstrate that poetic performance breaks silences and creates deep connections between diverse experiences, becoming an efficient pedagogical resource for heterogeneous classes.

The study also reveals a little-discussed reality: Foz do Iguaçu received approximately 15,000 immigrants from 95 nationalities between 2010 and 2022, making the teaching of Portuguese a challenge that transcends grammar. It involves welcoming, intercultural understanding, and combating the structural inequalities that affect these students.

Eliane Silva and Júlia Batista Alves demonstrate that teaching Portuguese as a Language of Welcome is, above all, an act of courage and commitment to social justice. The article is essential reading for teachers, administrators, and everyone who believes that education can and must transform lives.

Link to read the full article:POR UNA EDUCACIÓN CRÍTICA, INTERCULTURAL Y ANTIRACISTA: UNA CONCEPCIÓN FREIRIANA PARA LA ENSEÑANZA DEL PORTUGUÉS COMO LENGUA DE ACOGIDA | Revista Espirales