The Brazil Studies Program at Harvard’s David Rockefeller Center for
Latin American Studies presents
Schools in Brazil
Presentation by
Jessica Acosta, A.B. in Romance Languages and Literatures
('10). In the Sumer of 2009 Jessica participated in the Brazil Studies
Program Public Policy Immersion Program (PPIP). She developed an on
site research project for Fundação Lemann on the social and economic
development of public education in low income areas of São Paulo.
Jessica Villegas, A.B. in Social Anthropology ('11). In the
Sumer of 2009 Jessica participated in the Brazil Studies Program Public
Policy Immersion Program (PPIP). She developed an on site research
project for Associação Vaga Lume, a non-profit that develops projects
on education in the Amazon.
&
Screening of the documentary Pro Dia Nascer Feliz
Directed by João Jardim, this emotional documentary follows a group of
teenagers in Brazil from different socio-economic backgrounds as they
confront the challenges of being in school. In a series of very
intimate interviews, rich and poor 14-17 year-old students from São
Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Pernambuco open their hearts revealing
contradictory emotions concerning prejudice, violence, anxiety, hope
and love. More than the sum of its parts, Pro Dia Nascer Feliz is an
in depth analysis of the challenges to education in Brazil. As the
focal point in the film, the school brings together students, parents,
teachers as well as representatives of the state who are trying to make
a name for themselves. But the persistence of social inequality in
Brazil and ineffective public administration paints a very grim picture
of the country’s future.
Date: Tuesday, December 8 - TODAY
Time: 6:00-8:00pm
Location: BELFER Auditorium, 1730 Cambridge Street - HARVARD
Contact: Marcio Siwi, msiwi@fas.harvard.edu