O preparo de óleo a partir da polpa da semente da mafurra (Trichilia emetica) em Moçambique: possibilidades de apropriação do saber local para o ensino de Química

Abstract

Based on qualitative ethnographic research, we sought, through narrative interviews and participant observation, to collect information about the local knowledge inherent in the oil production process from the mafurra seed pulp in the community of Canda, in the Province of Inhambane in Mozambique. On the other hand, we tried to analyse this information in the light of the emic, ethical and dialectical assumptions of the ethnomodeling proposed by Rosa and Orey (2012), of the reflections on local knowledge and the teaching of chemistry made by Francisco (2004), with the aim of outlining possibilities of its appropriation for school knowledge based on the chemistry contents of general secondary education in Mozambique. From the analysis carried out, we found that in the production process of mafurra oil, chemical concepts related to chemical and physical properties are evident, such as density, boiling and melting temperatures, the properties of ceramic materials used for the manufacture and conservation of beverages and food, regarding their conductivity, boiling temperatures, solubility, their constitution, the transformations involved in the production of the material, the distinction between types of mixtures and the respective separation methods, among others, which can be addressed in chemistry teaching in Mozambique.