Practicing Spaces and Spitting Antidisciplines: A Letter to the Saci

reflections on art education and resistance in the school contexto

Abstract

This article is a letter to the Saci, explaining the reasons why his name was invoked—without prior notice—in an elementary school classroom in a public school, giving rise to an artistic and pedagogical practice called Roda de Saci. The Roda follows the principles of Paulo Freire’s liberating education, bell hooks’ transgressive education, and Ana Mae Barbosa’s triangular approach, using the figure of Saci as a symbol of resistance, creativity, and subversion within the school environment. Furthermore, it proposes a space for artistic experimentation and collective learning, breaking away from the rigid norms of traditional schooling. Through performative play, theatrical play, and performance, students are encouraged to question, create, and reframe their own narratives, valuing their experiences and Brazilian culture. The article also discusses the challenges and potentialities faced by a teacher within an educational system marked by colonization and highlights how art can serve as a link for social transformation and freedom. The Roda de Saci, therefore, not only resists the impositions of the school system but also reinvents other possibilities for the world in confluence with decolonial and counter-colonial practices.