Expectations and welcome: indigenous freshmen are arriving

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Iaponâ is sitting on the concrete sign with the name Unicamp
The freshman of the Social Sciences course Iaponâ Guajajara

Iaponâ Ferreira Guajajara's twenty-third birthday, completed in March, marks a turning point in his life. The indigenous boy, resident of Marabá, Pará, would not have imagined that he would spend his birthday in 2019 so far from his people, but happy. Iaponâ, who always wanted to study, will study Social Sciences at Unicamp. He is part of the group of indigenous people from various parts of Brazil who secured a place in the first indigenous entrance exam promoted by the University.

There were 611 registered and 68 approved from 23 different ethnicities, the majority being Baré, Tukano and Baniwa, from the Rio Negro region, in Amazonas. The majority of those approved were from this state, with 36 students from São Gabriel da Cachoeira and 11 from Manaus, according to data from the Permanent Commission for Entrance Exams (Comvest).

Group of indigenous people with suitcases and belongings
The largest group of indigenous freshmen came from São Gabriel da Cachoeira (Photo: Hugo Teixeira/Comvest)

Iaponâ was one of the first indigenous freshmen to disembark at Viracopos International Airport, on the night of Monday, February 11th. Little by little others are arriving. This Monday, (18), the largest group, with 22 freshmen, landed at Viracopos airport, coming from the region of São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas. Another 10 indigenous people have been in Campinas since Thursday, the 14th.

 “I am a social movement activist, I like to read and criticize. I like challenges and I fought hard to be here”, says Iaponâ For the future social scientist, the course at the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences (IFCH) will be a great tool to try to understand the realities of the country and indigenous peoples.

He hopes to learn to deal with the historical context and sees the indigenous entrance exam as an achievement. For Iaponâ, Unicamp is “breaking a link” by changing its entrance exam to favor the entry of indigenous people and black quota students. A link to a difficult past.

 “When I found out about the entrance exam, I tried to find out more about Unicamp that I had already heard about in the media. It was a surprise to learn about this opportunity not only for us but for other people who need this chance to be here studying”, she reflects.

The Mawanaya indigenous man holds his cell phone and looks at the camera
Mawanaya, from the Waurá ethnic group

Iaponâ hopes to exchange experiences while interacting with the university community. “I'm from the Amazon region, northern Brazil. Anyone who looks from here to there often sees Indians who live isolated, naked, without access to communication.” And most are not like that. The indigenous freshmen set up a WhatsApp group to facilitate communication. “We are talking, answering questions, talking about why we are here.”

Mawanaya Waurá, 30 years old, left the village to study Geography at Unicamp. The Waurá live in the Xingu Indigenous Park and most do not speak Portuguese. Mawanaya goes little to the nearest cities, which are Canarana or Gaúcha do Norte. It takes six hours by boat and three more by road. Environmental pollution was what sparked his interest in pursuing a degree in Geography. He reports that the springs near the village are polluted and that the fish are not resisting.

Welcome

It will be at the house of employee Zilda Farias, or Dida, a teacher at the Early Childhood and Complementary Education Division (Dedic) at Unicamp, that Iaponâ and Mawanaya will get to know each other better. Zilda is also from an indigenous family, of the Kariri Xocó ethnic group and is temporarily housing four freshmen. Accustomed to participating in activities and discussions related to indigenous people, she draws attention to the heterogeneity of ethnicities. “They are different people with different habits. Food, for example, some don't eat beef, others don't eat pork. We need training to understand indigenous culture.”

Zilda walks along Iaponâ and Mawanaya
Zilda Farias and guests Iaponâ and Mawanaya

In addition to the teacher, many republic students opened a space at home to welcome indigenous freshmen. Gathered in support networks, the students guaranteed the indigenous people, through donations, tickets and transportation, in addition to accommodation. The support network Ubuntu brings together almost a hundred students who made an effort to organize the reception and raise donations. 

Pedagogy student Rafaella Ferrari says that conversation circles were held with those who are offering accommodation. “Not everyone is prepared to welcome freshmen.”

According to Rafaella, at first Ubuntu's biggest concern is with the indigenous people, due to the urgency of the arrival of freshmen. “In the support network, we give preference to indigenous students and black quota students, but we will assist all students who need it as much as possible.”

Unicamp prepared a collective effort scheme for the group's enrollment this Thursday, 20th. (look). A Freshman 2019 will also have a special program aimed at indigenous people. 

Rafaela
Rafaella: efforts by Unicamp students gathered in support networks for indigenous people and quota holders

 

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Audio description: in an external area, frontal image and in the middle, a man standing, in the center of the image, smiles and gives a thumbs up with his right hand, with his arm at ninety degrees. He wears a white short-sleeved shirt that reads Amazônia, written in green and at chest height. Behind him, a huge concrete slab, which occupies the entire background of the photo, where Unicamp is written in low relief, in black letters, and with the institution's logo on the left. Some tree branches appear overhead. Image 1 of 1.

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Writer and columnist, the sociologist was president of the National Association of Postgraduate Studies and Research in Social Sciences in the 2003-2004 biennium