Twentieth anniversary of Paulo Freire's death (1997-2017) : Freire's relevance for understanding colonialism

Abstract

This article pays tribute to Paulo Freire (1921-1997) on the 20th anniversary of his death (1997-2017). Rather than provide a comprehensive discussion around his ideas from writings spanning around almost thirty years, it focuses on one aspect of his body of work. It is that aspect that closely falls within the purview of this journal: colonialism. The emphasis is on the ‘oppressor consciousness’ and cultural invasion as they are relevant discussions around colonialism, both in terms of direct colonialism and neo-colonialism. The paper also builds on this theme to address the complex issue of language in postcolonial contexts.