PAULO FREIRE: LIFE AND WORK

Abstract

Interviewer: Hello, Dr. Paulo Freire. It's a pleasure to have you with us today. To start, could you tell us a little about your journey and what inspired you to become an educator? Paulo Freire: Hello, it's a pleasure to be here. My journey as an educator began in my childhood in Brazil, where I witnessed social inequalities and the lack of access to education for many. These experiences awakened in me a deep sense of social justice and a desire to promote change through education. It was this inspiration that led me to develop my educational methods centered on awareness and liberation. Interviewer: Your educational methods are widely known and influential around the world. How would you describe the core of your approach? Paulo Freire: The core of my educational approach is awareness, or "critical awareness" as I usually call it. I believe that education must go beyond the simple transmission of knowledge; it must enable students to critically understand the world around them, question power structures, and work to transform the reality in which they live. This involves a horizontal dialogue between educator and student, where both learn and transform each other. Interviewer: Your concepts of "education as a practice of freedom" and "education for awareness" have been fundamental to many social movements and development programs around the world. How do you see the role of education in promoting social justice and overcoming inequalities?