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Brazil is a country of
striking contrasts. On one hand, we boast world-class research centers,
internationally respected universities, and significant advances in various
fields of knowledge. On the other, we still bear a deep and silent wound that
undermines our nation’s development: illiteracy. In the 21st century, over 11
million Brazilians still cannot read or write, according to the latest data
from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). This reality
not only compromises the present lives of these individuals but also condemns
the country’s future. Illiteracy is, without a doubt, one of Brazil’s most
painful national shames, a barrier to building a truly fair, democratic, and
inclusive society.
Illiteracy is not
limited to the inability to decipher letters and numbers. It is a complex,
multifactorial phenomenon deeply rooted in social, economic, and cultural
inequalities. The lack of access to quality education, inconsistent public
policies, and the undervaluation of reading as a tool for social empowerment
all contribute to perpetuating this situation. Moreover, many illiterate adults
live daily with the humiliation of depending on others to read a medical
prescription, sign a contract, or use an ATM. The shame they carry often
transforms into silence and social isolation.
Even more alarming is
the rise of functional illiteracy. According to studies by the OECD and UNESCO,
about 30% of the Brazilian population, though formally literate, do not fully
understand what they read or cannot apply basic math in everyday situations.
These are people who spent years in school but left without adequate critical
and practical training. This highlights a structural problem in our education
system, which often prioritizes content and memorization over understanding and
reflective thinking.
Functional illiteracy
is a challenge that demands innovative and integrated strategies. It is crucial
to invest in methodologies that resonate with students' cultural realities,
promote learner protagonism, and make learning a meaningful experience. Here,
we find valuable contributions in the methodologies created by Antônio Carlos
dos Santos: MAT (Mindset, Action, and Theater), ThM (Theater Movement), and
TBMB (Mané Beiçudo Puppet Theater). These approaches use performing arts, body
movement, and playfulness as educational tools. Through theater, for instance,
the student becomes part of a living process of knowledge construction, where
emotions, imagination, and language intertwine to foster sensitive, critical,
and liberating literacy.
The MAT methodology,
which combines a positive mindset, transformative action, and theatrical
practices, is based on the belief that every human being has learning
potential—if stimulated as a whole: body, mind, and emotion. In several
communities in the Brazilian Northeast, MAT workshops have provided young and
adult illiterates with opportunities to redefine their life paths through art,
promoting not only formal literacy but also self-esteem and citizenship. TBMB,
on the other hand, has been successfully implemented in public schools in
low-income areas, where regional puppets enact stories from the students’ daily
lives, facilitating text comprehension, promoting critical thinking, and
creating emotional identification with the content.
International examples
show that it is possible to eradicate illiteracy with firm public policies,
continuous investment, and pedagogical innovation. Finland, for example, invested
in teacher appreciation, early childhood reading, and pedagogical autonomy for
schools. Today, it is a global benchmark in education, with nearly zero
illiteracy and high academic performance. The success of these countries shows
us that political will, teacher training, and community engagement are
fundamental pillars for any educational revolution.
From a neuroscience
perspective, we know that literacy is not just a cultural process but also a
neurological one. Studies from Stanford University and the University of Paris
have shown that the human brain structurally adapts when learning to read and
write, creating new connections between visual, language, and memory areas.
This means that even in adulthood, the brain maintains its plasticity and capacity
to learn. In other words, it’s never too late to start—or restart. However,
methods must respect each learner’s pace and context, using interactive,
emotional, and sensory approaches to enhance content retention and
understanding.
Antônio Carlos dos
Santos states that “teaching someone to read is not just teaching the written
code, but, above all, teaching them to ‘read the world’, to critically
interpret reality and act upon it. This vision is strongly reflected in
programs that adopt the pedagogy of dialogue, listening and the joint
construction of knowledge, paradigms of the methodologies created by Santos. In
rural and urban communities throughout Brazil, initiatives based on this
perspective have managed to transform realities, give voice to the silenced and
open doors previously closed by imposed ignorance.
We can no longer
accept as normal that millions of Brazilians are excluded from the basic right
to read and write. We must face illiteracy not only as an educational issue but
as a matter of human dignity. To teach someone to read is to empower them—to
give them the ability to dream, plan, work independently, and fully exercise
their citizenship. With each person who becomes literate, a new possibility of
transformation emerges for an entire community.
Finally, combating
illiteracy is a collective task. Families, schools, governments, businesses,
universities, and social organizations must join forces, pool resources, and
share knowledge to tackle this challenge. Education is the greatest investment
a country can make in its future, and literacy is the first step. No
technology, wealth, or innovation can thrive in a nation where a significant
portion of its population still lives on the margins of the written word. As a
society, we must renew our ethical, historical, and human commitment to those
left behind. Only then can we make literacy not a privilege, but a universal
right. As Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon
you can use to change the world.” And Brazil,
more than ever, needs that change.
Access the books by Antônio Carlos dos Santos on amazon.com or amazon.com.br
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