On barbarity and the challenges of education: the day after

Claudia Schiedeck Soares de Souza

For the past few days I had been preparing to write about the educational future of the new Lula government, under the leadership of Education Minister Camilo Santana. What I wasn't prepared for were the scenes of absolute destruction, crime, and vandalism that occurred in Brasília this Sunday. 

I confess that it's almost impossible to put into words everything that happened yesterday in the Brazilian capital. Just as it was very difficult to find words to describe the nightmare we experienced in all areas of public policy under Bolsonaro's misrule. Nothing ever seemed adequate or sufficient to describe the constant threat, dismantling, and annihilation.  

Since Trump's election in the United States (I was in Washington in January 2016 and was able to hear some of the primary debates on TV), I have been saying that words construct justifications and narratives. Although what I saw there justified my concern about the Brazilian future, many said that there were no differences between the US presidential candidates. How different they were! Words insinuate themselves into people's minds, supporting the most absurd theories and actions. My background in linguistics allows me to say this. Words create symbols, create power, and are abused until they take on forms completely different from their original meaning. Eduardo Galeano already said that 'the blame for the crime is never the knife' (Galeano, 1990)*. 

Today I feel more broken than I have during these last four years. I see scenes of works of art being desecrated, of interior architecture being destroyed, of heritage being raped by that horde of barbarians, and it seems they achieved what they wanted: to attack the symbols that are most dear to us after so many years of military dictatorship. It's part of their war strategy: raze, rape, kill, dilapidate, destroy everything in their path. And my body and soul ache deeply.  

And all of this is deeply linked to the educational challenge we face. After yesterday, it is no longer possible for us, as teachers, to tolerate any verbal or physical act of prejudice or anti-democratic behavior in the classroom. It will no longer be possible to fail to understand that Brazil's educational problem is not just about content, teaching hours, or curriculum. But it is also (and perhaps much more so) about political understanding, about a deeper analytical understanding of Brazilian inequalities, about political discussion in the classroom, with students, with the school community, with society. I'm not talking about ideology, I'm talking about what needs to be more obvious: humanity, solidarity, empathy, respect for difference and contradiction. And, frankly, the Ministry of Education has an enormous responsibility in defining this path, since we have no time to lose. Creating groups that can discuss teacher training, reshaping basic education curricula, re-including sociology and philosophy in high school, forming networks of teachers who can articulate this new vision for our ailing education system. This path needs to be definitive so that no new adventure is attempted. We don't need militarization of our schools, we need civic awareness. We don't need books and textbooks that prevent our teachers from getting their hands dirty. We need them to think, to read, to reflect on actions like those that occurred yesterday. We don't need silence. We need voices, many voices, I would say. 

These will be years of intense struggle that will not end with just one term. Social arenas where we will need to fight for every space. It has never been more important to ensure that our children can think about what happened yesterday and not just look at that day as a picture on the wall that says absolutely nothing. January 08, 2023, thanks to the strong action of the Lula government, did not produce martyrs, which is a relief. Miracles happen, but they may not be repeated. We must create the objective conditions so that the widespread savagery that occurred in Brasília never happens again. And this begins with education, with our schools, with our teachers, who have a fundamental role in this process. 

Democracy forever. Respect is a right and a duty for all. No amnesty for anyone. Let exemplary punishments begin so that we can have peace to think about the future of our education. 

Remember: report anyone who may have participated in that barbarity, whether by financing, participating in, or even encouraging these scenes that will forever be marked in Brazilian democracy: denuncia@mj.gov.br.

 * GALEANO, Eduardo. The discovery of America (which hasn't happened yet). 2nd ed. Translated by Eric Nepomuceno. Porto Alegre: Editora da Universidade/UFRGS, 1990. pp. 7-45. University Synthesis Series.