Experiências de ensino de língua portuguesa para haitianos em contextos educativos formais e não formais: um estudo no município de Pato Branco (PR)

Abstract

Haitians started to arrive in Brazil in large numbers since 2010; after a catastrophic earthquake hit their country of origin, leaving thousands homeless, injured and dead. However, as some authors reveal, the diaspora of Haitian people dates from a long time ago – as far as the mid-twentieth century – with social and cultural connotation. In regards to Paraná State, specifically the city of Pato Branco, arrival records go back to 2012, and the reasons are related to the work in poultry slaughterhouses. Gradually, actions towards the welcoming and the teaching of the Portuguese language (PL) were promoted, specially by religious institutions. Also, some educational institutions began to pay attention to their presence. Within the given scenario, the purpose of this dissertation was to analyze the institutional aspects and the experiences of teaching PL to Haitians in formal and non-formal contexts of Pato Branco. The study involved field work, documental and bibliographic research, in addition to some traits of ethnography. The locus for development were a State School and a religious institution in Pato Branco, located in the downtown area. At the aforementioned locations, interviews with managers, teachers and Haitian students were conducted and some LP classes were observed. The analysis of the material was qualitative, utilizing the Content Analysis. The data gathered shows that the pursuit for formal education from Haitians is due to the necessity of validating their foreign degrees; also, the teaching of PL which they experienced is part of the Brazilian curriculum, hence, restricted to Brazilian students, in order to develop their linguistic skills. In regards to the informal education, the interest from Haitians is due to the many welcoming actions which have contributed to the formation of the Movimento dos Haitianos de Pato Branco - MHAPA (Pato Branco’s Haitians Movement); the teaching experience of PL, in this case, relates to the acquisition of a new language, meeting their necessity.