Proposta de formação intercultural de professores(as) de inglês em Nampula: os provérbios moçambicanos como loci político, linguístico e epistemológico

Abstract

The classroom environment in Mozambique is complex, as Portuguese serves as the official language and, in urban areas, also as a mother tongue, while Bantu languages dominate as native languages. Additionally, there is the presence of foreign languages such as English, French, and several Asian languages, including Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu, Memoni, Arabic, and Mandarin. However, the plurality and interculturality of the classroom are not fully recognized, and teaching practices in foreign language classes fail to incorporate a pedagogical approach that promotes or enhances intercultural education. Unfortunately, the absence of inclusive educational policies means that, even after half a century of decolonization, classrooms are not yet welcoming spaces for Mozambican students whose languages and cultures are still seen as inferior to those of the colonizer. In light of this reality, this study sought to question the relevance of an intercultural approach that values Mozambican Bantu languages and cultures in English language teaching. The research fills a theoretical gap by addressing the lack of pedagogical practices that promote interculturality in English teaching, particularly in teacher education. The general objective is to promote an intercultural approach in English language classes through the use of proverbs that depict social conflicts, such as female oppression. The specific objectives include: (1) To examine whether the (inter)cultural component of language is incorporated into the English curriculum and teaching programmes at Rovuma University. (2) establishing an intercultural dialogue between languages and the sociocultural knowledge embedded in proverbs; (3) observing whether the approach implemented in the pedagogical intervention created favorable conditions for students' critical reflection and for valuing cultural, identity, and linguistic diversity; (4) documenting the educational materials produced throughout the research. This is a qualitative research study based on Critical Social Theory, conceived as an awareness-raising project aimed at transforming consciousness and subjectivities regarding sociolinguistic and sociocultural attitudes and perspectives in language teaching practices within multilingual contexts and situations. The methodology adopted was action research (Bell, 2008; Nunan, 2001), organized into cycles of planning, action, observation, and reflection. The study was conducted in the English Teaching Degree program at Rovuma University, involving 20 participants from eight Mozambican ethnic groups. The analysis of the results was based on content analysis techniques (Barlin, 2014) and theoretical references on critical interculturality (Walsh, 2009; Tubino, 2011), epistemic bilingualism (Pimentel da Silva, 2019), and the recovery and revitalization of ancestral knowledge (Pimentel da Silva, 2017). The research highlighted the importance of intercultural training for English teachers in Mozambique, emphasizing Mozambican proverbs as fundamental cultural expressions for valuing Bantu languages and fostering dialogue between cultures. The analysis of these proverbs also redefined the richness of the Bantu worldview, particularly regarding the social position of women. Furthermore, by encouraging critical reflection on cultural and linguistic identities, this approach makes learning more meaningful and aligned with students' sociocultural realities. In this sense, the thesis reaffirms the need to integrate Bantu languages and cultures into the English curriculum for teacher training in Mozambique, stressing the urgency of inclusive educational policies and training programs that promote linguistic and cultural equity, preserve and strengthen Bantu languages, and encourage continuous intercultural dialogue, ensuring a more just, inclusive, and representative education.