Theory and praxis: reflections and lessons from a bilateral educational aid programme in Guinea-Bissau

ABSTRACT

This article examines Portuguese official aid (POA) in Guinea-Bissau, based on the experience of a bilateral educational aid Programme – PASEG (2000–2012). It explores the theory and praxis (understood as instructed action) of PASEG as a complex and transversal intervention in a context of fragility and political uncertainty. It discusses the transition from an aid programme which focused mainly on the individual dimension at the school level to an approach which tried to integrate the organisational dimension and capitalise on the enabling environment. Drawing attention to the idiosyncrasy of the political, historical, cultural and social aspects of Guinea-Bissau, the article highlights the tensions which arise in the attempt to reconcile the technical/academic dimensions of project implementation with the political agendas of POA.

KEYWORDS:

• Guinea-Bissau
• Portuguese aid
• capacity development
• fragility
• bilateral educational aid

Acknowledgements

Thanks go to Elizabeth Challinor for her valuable comments and assistance in an earlier draft of this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCiD

Júlio Gonçalves dos Santos http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1182-5046

Rui da Silva http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3369-1285

Notes

1. Considered the founding father of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde nationality and also associated to ‘… effective participatory governance structures in liberated areas, but also an important intellectual’ (Lopes 2010, 10).

2. Institution responsible for promoting both Portuguese culture and language abroad.

Additional information

Funding

Part of this work was supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal (Program POPH/FSE – grant number SFRH/BD/85561/2012).