Why will a country face a split?
A country will face a split when there is imbalance between those with the power and those being controlled by the power. The authorities in Brazil were in a sense, watching and controlling “behind the scenes” of the masters and slaves. When the authorities enabled the masters with the power over the slaves in order to gain selfishly, the masters grew stronger and the slaves weaker. The slaves were so silenced that they submitted to it all. The authorities were the ones who split the country because they were greedy and refused integration.
Why is having dialogues important for democracy and how can we create the “open area” (p. 21) for it? Make one example that can be related to the idea of an “open area” for having dialogues from your life to support or argue Freire’s viewpoint on this.
Having dialogue is crucial to a successful democracy because it informs people about current events. Someone might not even know they are being taken advantage of because they have adjusted to that lifestyle so quickly. The slaves and masters did not know what a real democracy looked like so maybe if they were able to have “open areas” they could learn that their situation is not benefiting their economy. An open area could be a park. Going over to City Park in Fort Collins allows for dialogue because I can visit with friends or just see what other people are up to and how they are living. I agree with Freire’s point when he says that an open area cannot develop under a closed estate because otherwise people would all be living and thinking the same without any outside contact.
How do you think arts can assist human beings to open the dialogues for democracy, for inclusion, for respect?
Art has the power to open dialogues between democracy, inclusion, and respect because it communicates different perspectives to the situation. If people who are marginalized, such as Natives or poor people, are unable to communicate with those who have power over them, they can paint murals to portray the trap they are being held in. Not everyone will sit and stare or listen to the painting, especially those not wanting to lose their power over the others. Although, the mural has the ability to begin to create unity of those that are in the same patronizing situation and start revolutionizing equality.
Find a quote from the reading that makes you think a lot.
“The excess of power which has characterized our culture from the start created on one hand an almost masochistic desire to submit to that power and on the other a desire to be all-powerful.” p.21
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