Follow Us on Google
Chiedu Uche Okoye
ENGLISH Language, which has existed for hundreds of years, is one of the major world languages today. From the old English, to Elizabethan English, and to the modern English, it has kept on evolving and growing, borrowing words from Latin, Greek, French, and German. Now, neologisms exist in modern English owing to recent scientific and technological discoveries. Words connected with the internet have crept into the English Language lexicon.
Probably, English is the world’s most used language. However, at a time, great literacy stars on the African continent had heated disputation on the rightness of African writers to use English a colonial language to write creative works about black peoples’ experiences. Chinua Achebe, a novelist par excellence, lent his voice to the discourse and approved of African writers’ use of English to write their works. However, another leading African writer ,who is called Ngugi Thiongo, showed his preference for native African languages over major European languages and experimented writing his works in his native Kikuyu language.
Irrespective of this, English language has become Nigeria’s lingua franca. It is the language of the government in Nigeria, as proceedings on the floor of the National Assembly are rendered in English. From the kindergarten to the tertiary level, pupils and students in Nigeria are taught in English. And it is the language of the court as lawyers in Nigeria argue their cases in English.
Being not unaware about the importance of English language in today’s Nigeria, and the bright prospects of graduates of English language and literary studies, the lecturers in the English language and literary studies department of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (Unizik), organized its literary week recently. The literary festival, which was spearheaded by Mr. Afam Ezeaku, the staff adviser of the English language and literary studies students of Unizik, offered the students the rare opportunity to display their talents in the areas of drama, spoken poetry, and essay-writing.
More so, against the background of parents making desperate efforts and cutting corners to secure admissions for their children to study courses like Medicine, Engineering, Law, and Accountancy, the students were taught the importance and place of graduates of English language and literary studies in today’s Nigeria. They’re told about the literary exploits of the late Ohaeto Ezenwa, a former lecturer in the Unizik English department and one-time winner of the NLNG literature prize for the poetry category. The undergraduates of English language and literary studies, then, learnt that they can become film stars, academics, broadcasters, print journalists, and others upon their graduation.
The chairman of the Unizik literary festival, Mr. Chris Chikelue, lamented that Nigerians show apathy to seminars and workshops, forgetting that ideas rule the world. He told the audience that ignorant and unknowledgeable people cannot lead great countries as ideas rule the world. He further urged the students to take pride in studying English language and literary studies as it’s the foundational base of bodies of knowledge.
The guest lecturer, Professor Onyeka Iwuchukwu, who’s a former lecturer in the institution’s English department, gave a lecture titled “Relationship between creativity and criticism”. She noted that criticism ought to be constructive and it should look at a work from a certain perspective. She traced the origin of literary criticism to Plato, who recommended that artists should be removed from society. She reiterated Alexander Pope’s thesis or postulation, which posits that writers would deviate from abiding by set literary traditions if criticism is non-existent. Then, she went ahead to delineate the advantages of literary criticisms as to creative works.
“Reading the criticisms of a work will help us to avoid the pitfalls in it when we are writing our creative works. And critics should look at content and form when critiquing works,” she advised.
And, Mrs. Ada Iwueze, who represented the Head of Department, English language and literary studies, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, said that the English language and literary studies is about creativity. She urged the students to study hard so as to graduate in flying colours, realize their potential, and become useful citizens, who can contribute their quotas toward the economic and technological advancement of Nigeria.
As the literary event wore on, the students performed the play, The Trial of Brother Jero by Wole Soyinka, which highlights the existence of religious hypocrisy and religious mountebanks in our morally decadent society. The students’ virtuoso dramatic performances are proofs that they can become seasoned thespians and renowned playwrights and dramatists in the future. The audience gave them resounding ovation for their splendid performances.
In the debate competition, which was part of the literary event, the winners were Precious Nwachukwu, Zikora Okoye, and Kingsley Emelie, who came first, second, and third respectively. And in the poetry slam competition organized by Chisom Udeoba, who’s the Awka PIN leader, Divine Onyekwena, Kingsley Emelie, and Edna Ohabighiro came first, second ,and third respectively.
And the Unizik’s English language and literary department’s literary journal titled “The wordsmith” (volume one) was unveiled to the acclamation of the cheering book- loving audience. The contents of the journal, which encompass language and literature topics, are entertaining and intellectually-enriching as they treat the topics insightfully and profoundly.
The successful hosting of the literary festival offered the students a glimpse into what their future as graduates of English language and literature would look like. And their attendance of the event has sowed the seed of love of creative works in their minds.
Okoye writes from Uruowulu-Obosi,
Anambra State
