Maria Lúcia T. Garcia

FINAL THOUGHTS OR GOING BACKING TO THE BEGINNING

Arinola Adefila Maria Lucia T. Garcia

“Looking at the past must only be a means of understanding more clearly what and who they are so that they can more wisely build the future” (Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed).

Freire’s quote help us orientate our efforts as we present final thoughts. On one dimension, we have learned so much about ourselves, who we are and how organized the 2TV workshop explains part of the learning process between us and how with determination, respect and imagination we can build a future of collaboration. Bringing together people from different countries: Brazil, Venezuela, United Kingdom was challenging. Using a translation service to tackle the language barrier, during live and vigorous debate was important, ensuring accessibility. Though it had its own challenges, we appreciate the importance for all to understand and to be understood.

Our discussions helped us unpack different layers of oppression and how it is manifested. As Freire suggested this activity should be designed to support people build a future using the tools and insights we have uncovered. We explored the history of Educational Policy that is anti “the oppressed”, and also investigated a number of alternatives. Envisioning possibilities to build a more equitable society, one that is anti-oppressive. As activist scholars it is our duty to continuously develop these pedagogies of hope, criticizing the exploitation and oppressor the capitalism system is. As Angela Davies said: “We are, after all, engaged in a struggle that seems, if we look at it using a mainstream political framework and through

a mass media prism, unwinnable. On the other hand, if we take a step back, look at things from a broader angle, reflecting on what is happening all over the world and the history of struggle, the history of solidarity movements, it becomes clear, sometimes even obvious, that seemingly indestructible forces can be, thanks to people’s willpower, sacrifices, and actions, easily broken” (Angela Davies, 2016, p. xi).

As academics, a tool is an exchange process in an international outlook. International cooperation is widely advocated within the strategic plans of universities and increasingly by professional associations in many parts of the world, as it allows for an understanding of local issues from an international perspective (National Research Council, 2001). The dissemination of our work also includes the intricacies of working together. We believe that we by presenting our findings as well as the collaborative process we can build a network and propagate pedagogies of hope. It means, it is a mutual learning process that impact all of us.

The collaborative process was a mix of challenges and amazing knowledge exchange. At the beginning of this process, we were working with colleagues we did not know and have never met. This demonstrates how important dialogue is. Even though we did not share the same idea we opened our minds to exchange knowledge and experience. Power, powerful, challenging, homogeneity are words that reflect 2TV workshop, a relational process that opens a space for dialogue between subjects who did not know each other but who recognize themselves in the debate.

The powerful nature of the dialectic was evident in the evaluation of the workshop, the word cloud (see below) reveals how participants – empowered, excited, inspired. This is exactly what we set out to achieve when we created the space and time for interested stakeholders to be involved in a critical discussion about education.

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Paraphrasing Freire: We do not wash our hands of the confl ict between the powerful and the powerless, because we choose not to be neutral.

Th is is our fi nal thoughts.

References

DAVIES, A. Freedom Is a Constant Struggle. Chicago: Haymark Books, 2016.

FREIRE, P. Pedagogy of Th e Oppressed. New York: Continuum,, 2005.

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