The rhythmic pounding of drums silenced the sounds of the wild. As our van passed through the gates of the United African Alliance Community Center (UAACC), flaming torches and jubilant dancing folk illuminated our path and led us to the community room.

For three weeks -- from June 6 to June 27 -- Women's Studies 497A (Feminism, Art, and Global Activism), instructed by Marla Jaksch, took a group of 16 students and five faculty members on a journey to Arusha, Tanzania, a country in East Africa.

During our stay, we resided at the UAACC, an organization founded by Pete O'Neal, a former Black Panther exiled from the United States for the past 35 years.

Some students taught poetry, geography and photography, while others assisted the UAACC staff with cooking and yoga sessions. Others helped mobilize the community through computing and Internet initiatives.

Being the pilot class of this course, our objectives were directed toward understanding the Arushian Community and mapping out ways future Women's Studies 497A groups might contribute to the effort.