"Reading the World": New Film Spotlights Paulo Freire's Radical Literacy Experiment in 1960s Brazil

Support our work: https://democracynow.org/donate/sm-de... The new documentary "Reading the World" profiles Paulo Freire, the acclaimed Brazilian educator whose revolutionary approach to teaching connected literacy to critical thinking and democratic participation. It draws on rare archival footage of 1960s Brazil and weaves together the memories of farmers, students and educators who took part in Freire's culture circles, his method of teaching adults to read in as little as 40 hours by drawing on their own lives, communities and experiences. At the time, Brazil's illiterate population was barred from voting, so education also opened the door to political participation. The experiment was abruptly halted in 1964 when Brazil's military overthrew President João Goulart in a U.S.-backed coup that led to Freire's imprisonment and exile. Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET. Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe