The Democratic Republic of Congo's U.S. ambassador, Faida Mitifu, gave the keynote address Nov. 8 to more than 150 Georgia school teachers participating in a training program to encourage broader teaching about the African continent in secondary schools.

The session, at Westminster Schools, was sponsored by the Teach Africa program and the Southern Center for International Studies. Teach Africa is a program of the Africa Society and receives funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

 “I myself am an educator,” Ms. Mitifu told GlobalAtlanta in an interview before the speech. “I do understand the importance of learning about other countries, other cultures.”

Ms. Mitifu taught French literature, language and culture at the University of Georgia (1994-97) and also at Columbus State University (1997-98). She holds a doctorate degree in French from the University of Georgia.

As a university professor in the United States, she would give her students at the beginning of each semester a map of Europe and another of Africa.

Students often had very poor knowledge of geography, “especially Africa,” said Ms. Mitifu. “Sometimes they put France on the continent of Africa. Sometimes they put Congo inside Nigeria.”

At the Nov. 8  workshop, the second of three to be held in Georgia, educators spent part of the day reviewing Teach Africa classroom materials and suggested classroom teaching methods. Teach Africa has launched programs in cities across the country, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Pittsburgh and Portland, Ore.

“I have been involved with Teach Africa for many years now,” said Ms. Mitifu, who knew the founders. The Africa Society was founded by Leonard Robinson, a former assistant sercretary of state for Africa and Bernadette Paolo, who worked for 12 years with the U.S. Congress on African issues.

Travis Edwards, who teaches world history at Morrow High School south of Atlanta, is participating in the Teach Africa program. Most of his students are African American. But they are not automatically enthusiastic when the lessons turn to Africa, Mr. Edwards said.

They imagine famine, poverty and civil war, Mr. Edwards said. Those are the media images that form their impression of the continent, he said. They do not think of modern cities and factories, he said.

“There is a very negative connotation that goes with Africa,” said Mr. Edwards. “That is what they see in the media. That is what they know. It’s all Tarzan to them.”

School textbooks, Mr. Edwards said, only provide basic information about Africa. The supplemental material provided by Teach Africa helps fill the gaps, he said.

Lisa Rand, a teacher at Avondale High School near Atlanta, said the regular school curriculum usually puts Africa in a negative light. “High birth rates, low literacy rates,” said Ms. Rand. “The students have very little understanding of where Africa has been or where it’s going.”

With materials and training provided by Teach Africa, she hopes to provide her students with a broader perspective on the continent.

“I think over the years we have done so much wrong to Africa,” said Ms. Rand. “It’s time to pay back, pay back through education.”

2010 The Agio Press, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without expressed permission.