Considering curriculum change: The case for Portuguese as an additional language in South African higher education

This paper reflects on current discussions regarding curriculum change in South Africa higher education whereas focusing in the specific field of teaching and learning Portuguese as an additional language (PAL) in the country. Articulating on the reality of South Africa multilingualism, we consider the possibility of  future theoretical and instructional pedagogies aimed towards creating a space intended for practices of translanguaging in the field of PAL. We argue that unabridged awareness of the full potentialities of multilingualism is advantageous for a more reciprocal teaching and learning process of PAL. In addition, we challenge traditional PAL oral practices and recommend a comprehensive transformation of examinations, one that includes relevant  topics, which would improve not only oral skills in the target language but also could prepare students to become more effective local and global citizens. And secondly, we argue that materials for Portuguese culture and literature upper level courses in South Africa should provide postcolonial approaches and interpretations; for this purpose, we analyse the poetry of Mozambican poet Noémia de Sousa as her ouevre is a prospect to reflect on colonization, racism, slavery, black diaspora consciousness, and migration in Southern Africa through the female perspective