From suffering to empowerment: Unveiling the multifaceted impact of the Brincadas Project/COLINA’s engaged multiliteracy in Brazilian Portuguese
This paper evaluates the impacts of the Brincadas Project/ COLINA (Collectives of Investigation and Action), with a particular focus on the COLINA Remo and COLINA Demétrio initiatives, through the lenses of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the cultural significance of Pretuguese. The project employed a variety of multimodal expressions — including text, image, sound, movement, and gesture — to effectively convey ethical-political suffering and the corresponding actions taken to address these issues. By harnessing these diverse modes of expression, the project empowered participants to articulate their experiences, confront social injustices, and engage with critical issues such as violence, environmental racism, and water scarcity. The innovative use of Brazilian Portuguese, expressed through the concept of Pretuguese, played a central role in enabling participants to challenge systemic oppression and assert their cultural identities in transformative ways. Methodologically, this paper draws on Engaged Multiliteracy to promote critical reflection and foster social change. The findings underscore the project’s alignment with key SDGs, particularly in its promotion of culturally resonant practices that contribute to sustainable and equitable development. Through this lens, the paper demonstrates how language and cultural expression, as embodied in Pretuguese, can serve as powerful tools for community empowerment and social transformation. The Brincadas Project, therefore, offers a compelling model for future educational initiatives aimed at achieving the SDGs, highlighting the critical intersection of language, culture, and social justice.
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Despite growing efforts to promote inclusion and equity in education, critical gaps remain, particularly regarding intersecting social, economic, and environmental injustices. International frameworks, such as those highlighted by Ainscow (2020), emphasise the need for systemic reform to ensure that all children, especially those marginalized by disability or socioeconomic status, can participate in mainstream education. Despite these efforts, as Aderet-German (2023) points out in the Israeli context, policies often inadvertently reinforce “othering” by focusing on singular dimensions of diversity, thus failing to address the intersectional realities of students’ lives. This unidimensional approach not only perpetuates inequalities but also limits the effectiveness of inclusive practices.