A ação político-educativa das freiras franciscanas em Juruti-PA (1970-1992)

Abstract

The research deals with the political and educational action developed by the Franciscan nuns of Maristella, in the municipality of Juruti, taking as a historical context the period from 1970 to 1992. Coming from the Brazilian Northeast and the South of Germany, they arrived in Juruti with the intention of improving the chaotic situation of education and health. With professional training in Pedagogy, Health and Social Assistance, they soon realized that, in addition to the poverty and illiteracy of the population, they would have to face the political oligarchy that showed itself indifferent to the serious social problems. Since it was not possible to change that situation immediately, they developed, with the priests, a challenging strategic plan. In the short term, they would develop educational, health and social assistance activities; in the long term, they promoted political education for those involved in the actions, through training courses for popular leaders, aiming at the democratization of public resources so that they could be used for the benefit of the majority of the population. We can infer that what we find in the writings of Marx (2013), Gramsci (1999), Lukács (2010) and Saviani (1999) was present, even if indirectly, namely: the struggle for social improvement articulated with the right to education with appropriate techniques and the valorization of science, as well as the critical understanding of history. In this way, they took over the main school in the municipality, the health service, began the construction of popular housing through a collective effort, consolidated the crafts and signed an agreement with the extinct Brazilian Assistance Legion (LBA) for the construction and maintenance of daycare centers and preschools in the urban and rural areas of the municipality, something unprecedented in the region until then. The educational, social and religious service through the Base Ecclesiastical Communities (CEBs) spread throughout the municipality and, little by little, produced leaders who strengthened the rural workers' union. These leaders founded a political party that began to bother the wealthy who took turns in power. From the 1980s onwards, the union members managed to elect city council members and regularize the lands of small farmers that had previously belonged to large landowners. This angered the city's leaders, who opposed the priests and nuns, accusing them of being communists and threatening them with death. The fear of a tragedy ended up influencing their departure in 1992. Thus, the research seeks to answer how a project based on early childhood education, health care, the construction of affordable housing, income generation through crafts and religious precepts managed to contribute to the political formation of small farmers to the point of influencing the political direction of the city of Juruti. The objective was to analyze the social, health and educational services developed by the Franciscan nuns in Juruti (1970-1992) in line with the political organization of small farmers. The method used was historical-dialectical materialism. The methodology consisted of documentary analysis of the archives of the Catholic Parish of Juruti, the Rural Workers' Union of Juruti, the Association of Artisans of Juruti and the Association of Friends of Children and Adolescents of Juruti, in addition to interviews.