“BLACK PEOPLE ARE THE KEY, OPEN THE GATES!”:

rap in Portuguese classes as a reflection proposal on reexistence literacies and colonial structures

Abstract

With the increasing presence of cultural, social, and linguistic differences in contemporary society, language teaching cannot be disconnected from these issues, for they affect and intertwine the lives of individuals in school education. Therefore, pedagogical practices must consider the authorial production of teaching materials that address, among many cultures, those that have been silenced and marginalized. This article presents a pedagogical proposal for Portuguese language classes focusing on colonial structures and literacies of reexistence, using the song lyrics Ponta de Lança, by MC Rincon Sapiência. To do so, we draw on the assumptions of INdisciplinary Applied Linguistics (Moita Lopes, 2006, 2009), discussions on coloniality and decoloniality (Quijano, 2005; Oliveira, 2023), notions regarding literacies of reexistence (Souza, 2011, 2020), and the concept of self-recovery (bell hooks, 2017, 2019). Firstly, we selected the verses from the rap song that were most meaningful in highlighting colonial structures and actions of reexistence. Then, we interpreted these verses while offering possible reflections for Portuguese language teachers in their work with the song lyrics. Throughout the interpretation process, we identified opportunities to question colonial structures and to bring ancestral knowledge—long neglected by institutions, including schools—into the classroom. Therefore, the proposal presented is an attempt, first and foremost, to trigger self-reflection on our role regarding the structures/violence denounced in the song lyrics; and, from there, to present discussions that can promote critical language education, without, however, offering ready-made answers to the issues raised.