Teaching Language for Liberation, National Unity and
Social Justice in Guinea-Bissau

Sumaila Jaló

(Faculty of Letters, University of Porto, Portugal)

Among the various conditions required for the right to citizenship was the obligation to “speak and write the Portuguese correctly”, even knowing that at the time an overwhelming majority of the populations in those territories did not have access to school education, nor did they attend the places where this language was vehicular.

This Communication aims to lay the groundwork for the most consistent reflection possible by seeking answers to the following question:

What language or languages to use in the teaching process in Guinea-Bissau, given its multilingual reality and still present challenges of emancipation from the cultural subjugation resulting from Portuguese colonialism, but also for the promotion of national unity and social justice?

The answers to this question will be sought through analysis of sources and bibliography accessible to us about education in Guinea( Bissau) from 1954 to our days, under the hypothesis that for a teaching that seeks the liberation from colonial alienation and promotes social justice and national unity, one should consider the specificities of each community and adopt the local language/s for the teaching process, along with Kriol and Portuguese.

Key words: language, teaching, liberation, national unity, social justice