Writing and Reading With Art

Abstract

Especially in a time of economic and social crisis, besides poverty and social segregation, immigrants face an additional difficulty to get integrated in a new society: lack of oral and written knowledge of the language of the country they are now living in. This paper describes an on-going research project – Writing and Reading with Art (WRAP) that has been implemented within a community of African preliterate adults. The project focuses on basic literacy acquisition (reading and writing) as an essential tool for these immigrants to favor their cultural and social integration, as well as their capacity to engage in their everyday life. Based on Paulo Freire’s approach to literacy, the project uses artwork to convey an aesthetic experience where both learners and educators share meanings and contextualize knowledge. Furthermore, the article argues that the same methodological approach can be used in different contexts with different target groups.