Douglas F. Manigault III

Douglas Manigault III is the youngest student on POA this year and is striking in his search for excellence – to improve himself, to grow and know the world. When he was attending Highland Park Community High school he went to China at 16 years old and appeared on CBS discussing his trip. Last year he was in Ghana working with Professor Elisha Renne on a research project on gender and environmental health. He has decided to construct his own concentration in public health and is also pursuing a minor in Afro-American and African Studies. His piece is entitled Teaching me Zulu – Nothing Short of an Act of Love.

Enjoy, Nesha

Teaching me Zulu – Nothing Short of an Act of Love

Over the past month, I have merely expected to visit different venues in South Africa to teach an oral methodology in HIV to various communities. In completing this task, I have continually acquired knowledge that has been a valuable part to my transformation. One special lesson I received was when my students at Zwelibomvu Primary School decided to hold me responsible for learning the HIV-education module in Zulu. This was serendipitous since I believe that to fully engage with the people, we must try to meet them where they are in every possible way. So, when I received the opportunity, I was exhilarated. To have this chance to receive a Zulu lesson was humbling for me because I was quickly confronted with the hegemony of English.  Students around the world are required to learn English while we Americans are only required to take a few semesters of a foreign language and are able to forget the language after. Trying to learn Zulu on the spot was a challenge because my ability to learn languages is limited; however, the experience for me was far more important than my ability to speak Zulu.

In addition, the chance the students got to teach me their language was their personal act of acceptance and was nothing short of an act of love.  These students are rarely given the spotlight, especially to the point in which they have authority to instruct someone. The students worked patiently with me as I struggled with the pronunciation of many of the Zulu words; yet, they felt accomplished when I was able to speak the words imperfectly.  I believe this brief moment was empowering for the students. The fact that I allowed the students to become my teacher was beyond an exciting feeling for them – it was apparent in the steady smiles on their face. Simply put, this was an act of generosity, which proves to me that this notion of giving consistently is a living custom amongst the African people – young and old. I thought about how much more of a people these students are as they are constantly faced with the struggle of learning their language and the English language – and they succeed at doing this. Again, this was a humbling experience for me, which shows how much I receive more than I could ever give.

Douglas F. Manigault, III
Pedagogy of Action 2011 Team Member