Tecendo saberes etnomatemáticos: Um diálogo intercultural entre Brasil e Timor-Leste

Abstract

Timor-Leste is the first Asian country to become independent in the third millennium, having won its sovereignty in 2002. By granting Portuguese as one of its official languages, the Brazilian government, through the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, took on the international commitment to assist in the reconstruction of this newly liberated nation. In view of the current global situation in which interculturality guides dialogue between peoples, as well as the importance of teaching mathematics for the progress of a country and its transnationality, we understand as essential the implementation of public policies, especially educational policies that may favor countries, provided that the socio-cultural reality is respected. In this sense, with the emphasis on cooperation between Brazil and Timor-Leste, this research aims reflect how ethnomathematics can aid in the educational reconstruction of Timor-Leste. The study is an action research, of qualitative and quantitative, descriptive and analytical character, with the participation of 10 Timorese as subjects of the research. The theoretical contribution was essentially based on Paulo Freire's pedagogical approaches and the assumptions of the ethnomathematics of Ubiratan D'Ambrosio. Documental analysis, interviews and participatory observation were the methodological procedures used in the collection of information. The results of this research have shown that even after a decade and a half of Timor-Leste's independence, the Timorese educational system still faces enormous challenges inherited from the era that were dominated by other countries and successive conflicts for liberation. We also find that the country has an immense cultural richness that can facilitate the process of teaching and learning of mathematics and other subjects in East Timorese eskolas from the ethnomathematical perspective. We hope that this research can contribute to new and exciting discussions on ethnomathematical studies as well as alternative educational practices that can be implemented in the eskolas in Timor-Leste.