Professor focuses on her life in Africa

By Jeanine Cardullo, On-Line Forty-Niner

Thursday, October 22, 1998

Far from Cal State Long Beach familiarity, a professor travels throughout Africa to volunteer her expertise.

Last week in a small multicultural meeting room, psychology professor Dr. Susan Nummendal spoke on "Life in Zimbabwe Since 1980," and shared a slide-show tour of her journey.

Spending a total of 6 weeks in Africa, Nummendal was able to volunteer time to an Earthwatch project as well as explore firsthand the beauty of a country that, according to Nummendal, many Westerners may not be aware of considering the negative portrayals and stereotypes of this vast land.

"When Africa is talked about, all that is mentioned is war, famine and apartheid. Media makes it simplistic. As we learn more complexities, the simplistic view of the world crumbles," Nummendal said.

The focus of the Earthwatch project was to gather data on the nutrition and health of mothers and children and to note ways life has changed in Zimbabwe in the past decade.

Nummendal's focus in psychology is child development. The exploration of children's health in a different country was one factor in the decision to participate, she said.

Throughout the 1980s, after the liberation, the African government was very active in promoting programs of health care for mothers and children. With the recent government changes, such programs have been disappearing, Nummendal said.

In light of this, the Earthwatch project Nummendal participated in interviewed hundreds of Zimbabwe women to gather information on nutritional issues; what the women and children ate, food growing practices, blood work and physicals.

As Nummendal was in the first wave of volunteers, she is not yet aware of the results of the data.

However, her experience spent in the country itself will enable her to bring an international aspect to her classes on child development, she said.

"It so impressed me, it was quite overwhelming, the cultural values in Zimbabwe. People are accorded such high respect," Nummendal said. "There are no public displays of anger, aggression in contrast to our 'civilized' world."

To illustrate the persuasiveness of American culture, Nummendal relayed the first two questions asked of her by the African schoolchildren. They were first curious as to whether Michael Jackson was a white man or a black man.

Second, they wanted to know if in the United States, when one tried to shoot people, where the bullets rubber or were they real?

Back at CSULB, Nummendal said she hopes to give her students a different viewpoint, to teach curriculum from a more global perspective.