Memórias e trajetórias formativas de jovens universitários da comunidade quilombola Ilha de São Vicente, em Araguatins-TO

Abstract

This research presents and discusses educational paths of university students from a quilombola community located in the region of Bico do Papagaio, in the north of the State of Tocantins. It analyzes, from oral memories, the educational paths of the university students from the São Vicente Island quilombola community. In this direction, it aimed at investigating the educational context of young remainders of this community concerning their schooling process, as well as their access and permanence in the university. The methodological procedures were organized from three investigative stages, namely: (a) bibliographical revision on the research topic; (b) field research with observation of the context and of the established social relations in the community, under the inspiration of an ethnographic research; (c) interviews and analysis of the narratives of six students and two quilombola leaders, from which it was possible to understand the experiences concerning their education path, as well as their access and permanence in the university. The results show that to enter higher education means a significant conquest for the quilombola community. In the context of the São Vicente island, the educational policies designed for the quilombola population, mainly the affirmative ones, had been of utmost importance to guarantee the access and the permanence of its students in the university. However, the narratives indicate that there are still many challenges in the academic environment, such as: prejudice and racism, which still exists; difficulties in accessing informational capital; and the lack of activities and pedagogical initiatives to approach the quilombola reality. Although regulated by law, quilombola education initiatives are still fragile and impose a great challenge for the consolidation of the right to education in Brazil.