Nicole Ward

Dispatch four is written by Nicole Ward whose major is Afro-American and African Studies with a minor in Women’s studies, Gender and Health.She was active in the the Michigan Gospel Choir and was among the group selected to accompany President Coleman to Ghana.She was also a MHIRT scholar to China in 2005. Her piece is entitled Umusa… the Zulu word for kindness.

Enjoy, Nesha

Umusa

The Zulu word Umusa … kindness comes to mind when I think of DUT.

Our days in Durban can be described as extraordinary. Our hosts and colleagues were warm, hospitable, and generous.  Our experience at Durban University of Technology (DUT) was at the forefront of this.  At first, we, the POA facilitators, felt somewhat intimidated teaching to a group of academics; people who are professors, administrators, and even medical professionals.  However, this feeling quickly melted away as the days went on.  The great generosity shown to us was something that I have never experienced in my life.

At DUT, we encountered staff members who had each touched us in their own personal way. There was Sharm, who came to training looking fabulous every day, showed an interest in the work we were doing and even made the girls jewelry herself as a gesture of appreciation for our work. Strini took the boys shopping and plied us with samosas everyday. Crispin, who was the first White male academic to learn the module was innovative  in his interpretation and valued the chance to do so.  We were definitely intrigued and kept on the edge of our seats with his presentations. There was also Jutka, who taught the module back in Hungarian, I believe a first for the program.  What was more fascinating about the DUT staff was their interest in integrating the “Umich” module in their system.  They were already making plans for our return.

We had the opportunity to meet with the Chancellor of DUT, Ela Gandhi, the granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi.  Even though our time with her was brief, she took the time to speak with us about the Gandhi center at the school, which holds a large collection of documentation in regards to her grandfather.

I can recall Dr. Lavern Samuels genuinely showing interest in our lives and our future.  He took time away from his administrative duties to casually chat with us and take us on a tour of Durban.  On the tour, we visited the Old Court House museum with an exhibit dedicated to Kasturba Gandhi, wife of Mahatma Gandhi, his inspiration behind his teachings of Satyagrahis.  I knew about Gandhi, but I did not know  how significant his wife was to his life and work.   In addition to this museum, we also visited the Kwa Muhle Museum, a site dedicated to displaying the history of Durban  during apartheid.  There was even an exhibit about segregation in the US, which was much unexpected. Dr. Samuels also fed us.  He exposed us to the delightful bunny chow; a dish in which a curry is placed into a bread bowl, which we constantly “smashed” (ate plenty).

Above all, our experience at the DUT was truly memorable. First, I was impressed  that we had  the chance  to meet the higher ups in the university.  I ask myself what we have done to deserve such  honors.  What did I do to deserve such hospitality, kindness and generosity from people we  knew for only a few days? I truly do not know, but we are grateful to have met the staff and administrators at the Durban University of Technology. Moreover, I want to thank them for appreciating our work and for welcoming, us with open arms, open hearts and making us feel at home.

Signing Off POA 2010 Team Member,

Nicole R. Ward