Decker to lecture on trip to Sudan
The Sudan was a hot topic in the world press for most of 2004. Unfortunately, the majority of the
press coverage has been highly negative, according to Dr. David Decker, USC Sumter associate professor
of history, who recently returned from a trip to the region.
In a public lecture scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24, in room 127 of USC Sumter's
Schwartz Building, Decker will discuss the present situation in the Sudan and the prospects for the
future of the largest country in Africa. The program is being sponsored by USC Sumter's Division of
Humanities, Social Sciences and Education.
Decker was invited to accompany photographer Michael Freeman and authors Victoria Butler and Timothy
Carney, a former accredited U.S. Ambassador to Sudan, on a trip to Sudan in preparation for a book,
Sudan: The Land and the People, scheduled for publication in June. The group traveled to Province,
Sudan, where Decker had previously spent time doing research on 19th century Kordofan.
Not only was Decker's previous experience in Sudan invaluable to the photographic and writing team,
but the trip also gave Decker a unique opportunity to renew contacts there for his ongoing historical
research. While there, he also looked into possible future academic links between USC Sumter and the
University of Kordofan.
Decker's presentation will be based on 15 years of study of the Sudan and his trip to Sudan in
December 2004. "In my talk I want to use photos and first-hand accounts to set out the context within
which the news accounts are being created and the truth used and abused," he said. "Clearly there are
both liberal agendas and conservative agendas at work shaping the reporting of the events occurring
in the Sudan," Decker noted. "The bottom line is a distorted view of a country and the people who live
there."
Decker earned his MA and Ph.D. in history at Michigan State University in 1984 and 1990. He joined
USC Sumter in 1994.
For more information on Dr. Decker's lecture, call him at 938-3773.
