Agroecology and Arts Center of Gurgueia Valley (NAGU): praxis in defense of life

Abstract

The current study takes experiences accumulated in the research, teaching and extension fields at Vale do Gurguéia Center for Agroecology and Arts - which is linked to the Undergraduate Course in Rural Education of Federal University of Piauí - as basis to reflect about the performance of the aforementioned Center, mainly in its cultural aspect. Its aim is to understand the role played by art in building a cultural agroecological education. In methodological terms, the present study has action-research features and takes into consideration actions carried out by NAGU in two different languages – i.e., the theater and audiovisual language -, for qualitative analysis purposes. The current research, which is inserted in a field of conflict between peasantry and agribusiness, highlights agroecology as element of resistance and popular education, whereas art is considered a constitutive and fundamental element of agroecological culture. Thus, aesthetics is herein depicted as front to be occupied in the construction for a popular educational project focused on the countryside and on its subjects. This project involves learning about collective struggles and the process to elaborate a political culture shared between universities and communities.

Keywords

• peasantry
• rural education
• socioagrobiodiversity
• aesthetics.