Between memories and silences: rethinking afro-centered curricular issues in the post-colonial era

Abstract

This article investigates the intersection between colonialism and education, emphasizing the need to rethink educational paradigms through the lens of decolonial afro-referenced epistemologies. It highlights the prevalence of Eurocentric thinking that perpetuates the silencing of non-European knowledge, as a characteristic of the Western project. With a qualitative approach, based on a bibliographical review and experience in the context of racialization in Portugal, the article proposes an epistemological turn that seeks to recognize and value pluriversal knowledge, dismantling practices that dehumanize colonized peoples. The work argues in favor of an education charged with political commitment, challenging the idea of ​​educational neutrality. The article is structured into three sections: exploring the “colonial wound” and how it manifests itself in contemporary educational practices; “epistemicide”, emphasizing education as a vehicle for maintaining power and domination; and the “weaving of educational paths”, contemplating paths for post-colonial approaches, which seek to heal the marks left by a history of exclusion. The results indicate that a decolonial educational approach, which values ​​the diversity of knowledge and cultures, makes it essential to dismantle oppressive structures and sow new horizons. The article concludes by highlighting the importance of decolonization as a matter of healing, and the need to identify and combat models of domination in society as a whole.