WHAT RELIGIOUS TEACHING ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?

afro-Brazilian ancestral representation in the curriculum

Abstract

Building the curriculum based on elements of Afro-Brazilian representation is a necessity to value our cultural roots. The relevance of ancestral knowledge for the educational process is justified by the constant efforts of black resistance movements that fight for Afro-Brazilian culture to be inserted into broad social spaces, such as schools, for example. Whether through the structuring of laws or pedagogical projects, the insertion of ancestry as a prominent point in teaching practice and national curricular composition has been more frequent, although it still faces challenges with regard to access and visibility in society. In this sense, this study's central objective was to identify and present elements that underlie the need to promote a curriculum that is more welcoming to African cultural knowledge, considering its relevance not only in terms of training, but, essentially, affectively. We highlight that research on this topic is urgent and demands rigorous academic involvement, since the invisibility imposed by structural prejudice and racism works fervently to disguise an egalitarian society. To this end, we opted for an ethnographic approach, starting from the experience at Ilê Asé Tassilonã - Guarabira - PB, aligned with a wide web of theorists who corroborate the perspective of decoloniality, represented by the introduction and contextualization of ancestral knowledge in the curriculum. As results, we can anticipate the cultural richness expressed by living in a Casa de Asé in order to affirm the potential of Afro-Brazilian culture, as a promising educational element, when inserted in the context of the curriculum.