“This is a new topic for Unicamp. For the first time, we prepared and carried out the indigenous entrance exam. The subject is of the greatest institutional relevance, so that we can learn and do things with quality and with the social responsibility that the subject requires”, stated the general coordinator of the University, Teresa Atvars, during the opening of the first seminar of the Cycle of Ancestral Knowledge, held this Monday (3), in the auditorium of the Convention Center.
Created by the Indigenous Inclusion Working Group, with the support of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies (PRG), the Cycle will bring together indigenous academics from different backgrounds, in order to hear experiences and collectively build the welcome of new students who will enter Unicamp through the first indigenous entrance exam , in progress. The next meetings will take place on October 2nd (Does the University support ethno-diversity?), November 12th (I joined... what now? Academic projects and indigenous permanence) and December 13th (The struggles for indigenous rights: how to create alliances between university and indigenous movement?) – See the complete program at link.
In the first debate, Cristine Takauá, from the SP Indigenous Teachers Articulation Forum; Luciano Ariabo Kezo, writer and student of the Literature course at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCAR); Alik Wunder, professor at the Faculty of Education (FE) and member of the Indigenous Inclusion GT; Eliana Amaral, Dean of Undergraduate Studies and president of the GT; and Daniel Munduruku, writer, member of the GT and visiting professor at Unicamp, responsible for curating and mediating the entire cycle.
According to the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, the seminar marked the beginning of a conversation that should permeate the entire University in the coming months. “We need to hear experiences from outside Unicamp, which can inspire us and help build a welcome here”, she pointed out. Eliana Amaral also highlighted the importance of dialogue with indigenous students who are already at the University, both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. According to her, based on a survey carried out by the GT in academic records, there are already around 40 undergraduate students who identify themselves as indigenous.
“We are gathered here to rethink our memory. To what extent has Brazil built its identity by placing the knowledge of our people and our ancestry on the stage of history? This is a moment for us to start thinking about building an inclusive identity, an identity that is truly made up of all our different identities”, reflected Daniel Munduruku, opening the debate session.
For Alik Wunder, Unicamp's challenge now is to think about indigenous inclusion within a two-way street. “We need to effectively think about the conditions of permanence, the real possibilities of inclusion and also think about what the university has to learn from the knowledge, wisdom and life experience of these people who will come to us. We need to recognize the inclusion of students, but also the inclusion of knowledge from little-known peoples,” he highlighted.
The indigenous entrance exam, which is open for registration until September 14th, offers 72 places in the various undergraduate courses at Unicamp. “It is a historic moment, where the university opens up to these students from many places and many identities, who come to complete the university itself a little”, stated Munduruku.
Audience participation was very active, with teachers, administrators and students showing great interest in understanding the experiences of the invited participants. From then on, it was discussed with the public how Unicamp was thought to be able to better receive these students and offer support for their permanence and success in completing their academic cycle, the focus of the work of the Indigenous Permanence GT.
