Community News B 1 Exchanging cultures/promoting goodwill WFU professor to teach in Niger By YVETTE N. FREEMAN Chronicle Staff Writer Dr. Debra Boyd-Buggs is African- American, and although she was born and raised in Washington, D.C., she also considers Senegal, West Africa as her home. And for the next year, the country of Niger will also become her home, as a result of a Fulbright Fellowship. Boyd-Buggs, who is an associate professor of French and African Studies at Wake Forest University, was awarded the grant by the J. William Fulbright Scholarship Board and the United States Information Agency, in March, to lecture and conduct research. "It's to promote cultural exchange; to promote goodwill between nations; between the United States and other nations. It's a great opportunity for a scholar, or professor or student in this country to go and share and learn about another culture, and also to take what ever it is that they have, to share with those people. So it's a wonderful program," stated Boyd-Buggs. She will be one of about 1,800 U.S. grantees who will travel overseas for the 1991-92 academic school year under the pro^am. While in Niger, Boyd-Buggs will teach American Literature at the University De Niamey in Niamey, and although she will be doing a service to the United States, she will also be fulfilling a personal goal. She says that she is currently working on a manuscript on "Islam and the creative imagination in Francophone West African fiction. And teaching in Niger will give me an opportunity to examine the literature of Niger, ^which is primarily a Muslim literature. And I would" like to incorporate the literature of Niger in this exten sive study that I'm doing." Boyd-Buggs added that she wants "to make some type of lasting contribution to the field, so that other people who come after me can use this book to learn more about the people of Niger, and about the literature of Niger, which is a literature that's not well known in the United States primarily because it's in French." ' Boyd-Buggs has been teaching at Wake Forest for two years now, specifically African and Caribbean lit erature in the department of Romance languages. She was a North Carolina Scholar (Post-Doctoral Fellow), at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for two years. She also taught for one year at North Caroli na Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount prior to coming to Wake Forest. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in French from the University of Iowa; Master of Arts degree in French Literature from Rutgers University; and a Ph.D. of Philosophy in Romance Languages and Literature from Ohio State University. She moved to North Carolina in 1986 whether African art says that I love now former husband took a job in Raleigh. It was then ^nething about my own tradi that she applied for the fellowship at UNC-Chapel Hill, &pn." "The post-doctoral fellowship was a marvelous oppor- Boyd-Buggs will be leav tunity for recent black PhDs, or young black people ing for Niger around the end of who had recendy received a Ph.D., to have an opportu- August, and will be taking her nity to do research," she stated. . two sons, Jordan who is 10 This will not be the first time Boyd-Buggs has years old, and Pascal, who is traveled to Africa. In fact, this will be the second Ful- two years old, with her. "Teaching in Niger will give me an opportunity to examine the lit erature of Niger, which is primari ly a Muslim literature. " ? ?? ; . ' . . ' ' t ? Dr. Debra Boyd-Buggs bright award that she has received. She said, "1 was a Fulbright Researcher; 1983-84 in the country of Sene gal. I was what you call the junior researcher. I was writing my dissertation at the time, and I did complete a dissertation on the Senegalese novel." However, even though she this is not new to her, she says receiving a second Fulbright is just as exciting as the first. There is no doubt that Boyd-Buggs will fit right in with the people of Niger. Here at home in the states, she prefers to wear her hair braided, as well as wear African clothing. "I've always loved African clothing. It's more comfortable. It's more convenient. And also, it does fit in with my life. My life at this point, is closely linked with my preoccupations with an Afrocentric approach to education; with helping and getting other black people to appreciate and to love their Africanity. And 1 think if I'm an example of that, then as a result of my wearing African clothes all of the time, there's then a lot more interest in African clothes among the people that I'm in close contact with," she commented. She also stated that she does not mind the fact that some young African- American people wear the tradi tional African clothing as part of a trend or fad, without regard to appreciating African-American history and heritage. She added that she is also a lover of African art. "One of the things about us as black people is that we've hated ourselves and hated who we are. We want ed to reject our identity because we were taught that this was something negative; this was something inferi or; this was something primitive. So for me to love She says this will be a great opportunity for her, espe cially being an African- Ameri can, and that more African American educators should apply for opportunities to learn and teach abroad, particularly in the African countries. She, herself, plans to continue applying for- fellowships^ although there is a limit to the number of Fulbright awards a person can receive. She said, "One of the objectives of the Fulbright Program is to give different people opportunities to go abroad to study. So they don't keep giving it to the same people all the time." When she returns from Niger next summer, she says she plans to continue working on her manuscript and teaching. But she says "the main thing that 1 want to do though, is to take students overseas to study. That's one of my primary objectives. 1 want to do two things. I would like to have an exchange program for students and then possibly every two years, just take groups of people who arc interested in going to Africa on educational excursions." In addition, she said that she has been involved in the campus ministry at Wake Forest for the two years that she has been at the university, and that some time in the future, she "would like to be able to pull together Photo by Mike Cunningham Dr. Debra Boyd-Buggs looks forward to teaching American litera ture to students In the country of Niger. my academic interest and my concerns in the ministry, and be able to put those two things together in some way. That's what I would like to be able to do as a life long activity." But currently, she is working on translating a novel by a Senegalese writer, and she says once that is completed, she hopes to begin translating a novel by a writer from Niger. About 5,000 Ful bright grants are awarded each year to U.S. students, teachers, and scholars to study, teach and conduct research in more than 130 countries around the world. For more information about the Fulbright Program, contact: Office of Public Liaison, 301 Fourth St., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547, or call (202) 619-4355. Military Notes The following soldiers recently landed at Iskenderun, Turkey to assist with international relief efforts for Iraqi refugees while serving with Marine Service Support Group 24, which is based at ?amp Lejeune. The group is part of the Mediter ranean Amphibious Group (MARG), homeported in Norfolk, VA. The MARG included the USS Guadal canal, USS Austin and USS ? Charleston. ? Marine Lance Cpl. Lance T. Wallace, son of Shirley A. Ayers of Kernersville. He is a 1986 graduate of East Forsyth High School. He joined the Marine Corps in April 1988. ? Marine PFC Joseph P. Farabee, son of Lillie M. Farabee of Winston Salem. He is a 1989 graduate of Carver Senior High School. He joined the Marine Corps in June 1990. ? Marine Lance Cpl. Shannon L. Williams, son of Vernell E. Williams of Winston-Salem. He is a 1987 graduate of North Forsyth High School. He joined the Marine Corps - in August 1987. ? Marine Lance Cpl. Bradley F. Smith, son of Frederick H. Smith of Winston-Salem. He is a 1989 gradu ate of Seneca High School in Seneca, S.C. He joined the Marine Corps in September 1989. ?(Note: Smith is serving with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit based at Camp Lejeune.) OUH milts IN THE PERSIAN GULF J By YVETTE N. FREEMAN Chronicle Staff Writer ?->: '-h-w-o^-: When the most Americans look back and remember the Persian Gulf War, they primarily think of the "heroes" in terms of the men who risked and even lost their lives ki the conflict with Iraq. Although men do make op tl it highest percentage in the XI*S, armed forces, women also v account for a certain percentage in the army, navy* marines and air force, and many of them ? also risked their lives, alongside their male counterparts, and should be duly acknowledged as the ; "heroines" of Operation Desert Cr AoiftL^ikiiAiait* M'XX-X X\- 111." ?!?!? ?!?.'?-! XvX'X'XXvX* ??,X*XvXvX,Xv One such "heroine" is 42-year* old Katherine Johnson* who is a native of Winston-Salem, but cur rently resides in Phoenix, Arixona. She was stationed in the gulf as an operating nurse with the Army's 403 Combat Support Hospital unit, which is based in Phoenix: Of the 300 members in the unit, who are all officers, Johnson is one of five African- Americans. She is a lieu tenant. I'm in charge of the enlisted. That means I'm supervisor and director of the enlisted soldiers. There are scrub techs and there are also circulators, and.. J was over seer of those people/1 she said. / I v Treating the EPOWs was part of Johnson's duty as well as treating any injured U.S. and allied soldiers. Dur ing her stay, she aiys her unit treated about 150 EPOWs, f who had primarily been injured after stepping on tand mines. She also said that they were glad to have been cap - toted. "Most of them...were glad to be captured. They ' wanted to be injured and they wanted us to take care of < them because they said the living conditions they lived in were beneath the kind of conditions we're used to living prisoners during an armed conflict must treat them for their injuries; Johnson says at first she was hesitant about having to treat soldiers who were supposed to be the Unit ed States' enemy. But she says "Once 1 saw what bad shape they were; in, 1 was proud to take care of them. At first I was hos0f ; because I didrft want to be there, oncef found oat* how they lived, 1 realized how proud I was to be an Amer ican citizen* ' - Johnsons unit was statione$| only 30 miles from the Kuwait* border and says they could he$|? die bombs dropping continuous||| throughout the war. No one in ihl| unit was hurt or kilted during the war, however it was aft& the war j was over that Johnson says memr| bers of the unit got careless, which ; resaUed in serious injuries. In one? instance, she said two office*^ were seri ou sly i njured wheii|l cluster bomb exploded in the tttitl next to hers. She said an fema&t African- American officer suffered ;; brain damage and another lost t$| arm in the explosion, She says was only luck that no one else wasf injured or killed J Johnson arrived back in the 1 United States April 21 arid says; she was elated to be home agai&| *1 could kiss the j^ound." she said. i usca to say 'X wonder why ih^ I Ptioto by Mike Cunningham jonnson arrived in Naudi Arar . . k*? vwii? wif wiwwii iiw w?i? iwr fawiw, jo? Austin, recently returned from the bia Thursday, January 3 at 5:30 profgn Qu|ft whare ?h? was an optfttHig rturM. a.m. She found out there was a : > possibility of going to the gulf back in November when under. So they were proud to be captured * she said. ber umt was pat on alert "Hwy put i? on thm hours. Then they told us we were going, and I air t fainted. 1 couldn't believe," she stated. ? t . Johnson says she didnt want to go because -I was afraid for royJife. I didn't know what to expect' Howtv She noted In particular that several of the EPOWs ?imt only children forced to serve in the Iraqi army; She said "One EPOW, was only 13 years old; Thaf s how young they were. He told us that the Iraqis came and took him away from his family, and they told him if he didn't ? wr.^.; 4~> ? ' ww* " ,r er, her disposition did change once she got there, although volunteer to go, they would assassinate his family." she says she was still afraid. She said, *1 had to do alot Johnson also stated that many of the EPOWs were so of praying...and fasting and asking God to take care of me malnourished that it was difficult to really distinguish how while I was there. But once ! got there and saw the living old they were. conditions of the Saudi Arabians and the Iraqis; EPOWs However, despite the fact thai it was her duty to treat (Enemy Prisoners of War), 1 was glad that 1 went because the enemy prisoners of war, because of the Geneva Con most of those people are very malnourished people." vention treaty, which states that any country that takes rope wouio want to fciss the ground/ It's just so stupid. Mt now I understand why when he gets off the plane, he kisses the ground/ She a Iso received a Congressional Commodatiob Medal for her service in the golf during the war. Now that Johnson is back home, she plans to Continue pursuing a master's diegtte In Nursing from Arizona: State University, arid she says she hopes to one day wotk with teenagers, pattjculluty ^ to help prevent teen pregnancy. She will receive that degree next year. However, for now, she says she will continue working as an Operating Room Nurse at the Veterans Administrative Hospital in Phbenix. Katherroe Johnson is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Austin of Winsion*Salem*