The following interview is an excerpt from a much longer discussion I had with noted African American poet, dramatist and short story writer Afaa M. Weaver, currently Alumnae Professor of English at Simmons College in Boston. The interview took place on June 1, 2002, at the scholar's office on the campus of National Taiwan University, where he was wrapping up a six-month visit as a Fulbright Scholar teaching drama and poetry at NTU, and creative writing at Taipei University of the Arts. Weaver spoke freely and easily about a number of topics, ranging from his childhood experiences to his current opinions on the state of academia in the United States. Those portions of his discussion selected for publication here deal primarily with Weaver's views on the goals of teaching. He sees education as an avenue toward empowerment, defining the word in terms of one’s self-awareness and an ability to adopt a critical approach toward the surrounding social environment and its influences. Weaver’s views on the teaching of culture in the classroom have tremendous relevance for the language teacher, as they encourage discussion of controversial topics that may seem taboo for many classroom settings. It is only through dialogue that a greater understanding of our "mission" as educators and language instructors can be more easily understood.
