A importância do conto de Mia Couto para formação de leitores e para discussão da discriminação racial

Abstract

This action research (Singer, 2011), part of the Professional Master's Degree Program in Basic Education Teaching at the Center for Teaching and Applied Research in Education (CEPAE) at the Federal University of Goiás (UFG), aimed to promote the development of literary readers in Basic Education. The study was based on authors such as Andruetto (2017), Antonio Candido (2004), Calvino (1993), Colomer (2002), Freire (1989), Humberto Eco (2009), Lajolo (2004), Todorov (2010), and Zilberman (1991). Additionally, the research sought to foster critical awareness among readers, particularly concerning racial discrimination and prejudice, drawing on the contributions of Ferreira, Fernandes, and Alberti (2000), Fischmann and Zilber (2002), Jones (1973), Marques (2005), Munanga (1999), Oliveira (1994), and Reis (2003). To achieve these objectives, readings and discussions were held on the short stories "The Baobab That Dreamed of Birds" and "Sidney Poitier at Feripe Beruberu's Barbershop," narratives from the book Every Man is a Race by Mozambican author Mia Couto. The research was conducted with 8th and 9th-grade students at Jardim Europa Adventist School (CAJE), a private school in Goiânia, during 2021. By the end of the study, students completed writing activities that demonstrated both satisfactory engagement with the literary texts and a critical understanding of racial discrimination and prejudice, as depicted in the stories and present in Brazilian society. An Educational Product was developed as a result, titled "The Importance of Mia Couto's Short Stories for Reader Development and Discussion on Racial Discrimination," in e-book format, which presented the research results based on a scientific process involving theoretical planning and qualitative and quantitative methods, articulated through the activities carried out with the students. Therefore, it can be concluded that the goals of the action research were achieved.