The following article from the St. John's University News (New York, US) concerns an innovative program in the Bamum language and script being taught by Dr. Konrad Tuchscherer. Tuchscherer has been working on Bamum for a while, bringing foreign attention in particular to the Bamum script and library in Cameroon. See also posting nos. 207 and 298 in this list's archives. (Seen via a Google alert) Don
St. John's News At Cameroon Palace, St. John's Students Will Become First in World to Study Ancient African Language http://www.stjohns.edu/academics/pr_aca_071005.stj October 05, 2007 This semester, seven St. John's undergraduates are distinguishing themselves as the first group of university students in the world ever to formally study Bamum, Africa's second-oldest existing language. If the students meet their goals, they will have gained a conversational level of fluency in Bamum by the end of the semester. The students are currently studying the phonetic structure of Bamum through a three-credit language class, taught on St. John's Manhattan campus by one of Africa's leading linguists. In November, they will travel to Foumban, a traditional warrior kingdom in the West Equatorial African country of Cameroon, where Bamum originated. For four weeks, the students will engage in an additional for-credit immersion course focusing on the original Bamum "scripts," an alphabet comprising 80 African characters, used by the Bamum people before Cameroon was colonized by the French in the early 20th century. According to scholars, the Bamum scripts are in danger of becoming extinct. The student plunge into Africa is part of the University's newly launched Discover the World: Africa program, which allows St. John's undergraduates to spend a semester in three different continents, fully immersed in Africana-studies courses. After spending the first third of the semester in Manhattan, students enrolled in Discover the World: Africa will embark for Rome, where they will stay rooted for several weeks before concluding the semester in Foumban, a Muslim city of 100,000 citizens. There, students will gather for classes on the grounds of the Royal Palace of Bamum Kings and receive an official welcome from the king, El Hadj Sultan Ibrahim Mbombo Njoya. Over the course of the semester, students will take a total of six immersion courses two in each continent for a total of 18 credits. All but one course will explore various facets of African culture, including the continent's history, politics and anthropology. (While in Italy, students will engage in one course on the history and culture of Rome.) Upon graduating from St. John's, each student will receive a minor in Africana studies. The cost of the program, including airfare, room, board and travel, is identical to the cost of a typical semester at one of St. John's three New York City campuses. "The education these students are receiving is exceptional," says Associate Professor of History Konrad Tuchscherer, Ph.D., director of the program. "It's also unprecedented. As far as we know, the Bamum language has never been taught at a college or university anywhere in the world." Preserving Africa's Second Oldest Language An expert in African history and language with a specialty in written traditions, Tuchscherer explains that only a tiny handful of Foumban citizens can interpret the original Bamum scripts. "All the old gravestones, the writing on the walls, the old documents it's all written in the Bamum language, but the problem is that the Bamum people can't read it," he says, noting that Bamum is one of the continent's few traditional written languages still in existence. For this reason, Tuchscherer and a few of his African colleagues have set the ambitious goal of resurrecting the scripts. Through the "Bamum Scripts and Archives Project," the St. John's professor has translated scores of centuries-old Bamum texts, organized literacy campaigns that run through many of Foumban's schools, and engaged in other outreach initiatives in order to keep the language alive. The project, which Tuchscherer has co-directed for the past six years, is funded by the British Library and the U.S. Department of State. Tuchscherer's research activities have earned him several academic plaudits, and according to Rob Heater, U.S. Vice Consul in Cameroon, he is recognized by many as "the foremost authority" on Bamum language and culture. Heater adds that the trip to Cameroon by the St. John's students is "one of the largest initiatives" ever undertaken to preserve Foumban literature. When the semester draws to a close, Tuchscherer's hope is that the students will return to the United States with a basic literacy in Bamum and a desire to safeguard it from extinction. The students' ability to speak the language has already begun taking shape through an immersion course currently being taught on the Manhattan campus by Abdoulaye Laziz Nchare, Ph.D., who hails from the Foumban kingdom. According to Tuchscherer, Nchare, currently pursuing a second Ph.D. from NYU, is among the most respected Bamum scholars in the world. "The stars aligned in our favor that he happened to be in New York this semester," says Tuchscherer, who had met Nchare on previous occasions in Cameroon. Total Immersion Up until the last century, Foumban was a warrior city, and the Bamum people are still proud of their combative history, says Tuchscherer. Many men still dress in warrior regalia and decorate their faces and bodies with traditional paint. Living side-by-side with the Bamum citizens, the St. John's students will learn how to wash their own clothes by hand, cook their own food (the Foumban culinary staple is pasted corn) and tend to some of the local crops. "This is not a field trip," says Tuchscherer. "Students will be totally immersed in society, fully submerged in a traditional `grassfields' kingdom, without the ability to draw back into their own little world." Because the Bamum people do not speak English, Tuchscherer says there will be an element of survival to the student experience. "If they want to be able to ask for food, they better show up for their language class," he says, tongue in cheek. Students also will be expected to participate in service-based activities, in observance of St. John's Vincentian Mission to offer aid to the world's poor. One of the group's goals will be the creation of an HIV/AIDS public-service radio campaign, which Tuchscherer expects will broadcast across Cameroon. The project is co-sponsored by the U.S. embassy. In addition, students will take part in various service activities sponsored by the Daughters of Charity, a community of women religious founded by St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac, who maintain a heavy presence in the country. Students are excited. "The continent is rich with history, traditions and beautiful people," says junior Ubah Hamoud, a 21-year-old psychology major who is originally from Africa. Calling the program a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," she adds: "It will provide me with the greatest opportunity to visit the continent I am originally from, and help me rediscover my heritage." Global Journalism Throughout the semester, each student enrolled in Discover the World: Africa will remain engaged in an independent research project, geared toward an individual aspect of Africa. Students will gather much of their data through personal interviews with African citizens and government officials. Upon their return home, each will submit a research paper to at least one academic journal or national or local magazine or newspaper. Many of the students' research topics the malaria and HIV/AIDS epidemics, for example revolve around health care and social justice. One student is researching the Kenya Airways plane crash in Cameroon earlier this year that killed more than 100 people, and another is exploring the Cameroon-Chad pipeline. Emily Santoro, a junior journalism major from Washingtonville, NY, has yearned to visit Africa since she was six years old. The Discover the World initiative "works out so well for me and my dream of working in Africa as a journalist," says Santoro, who will continue her research on HIV/AIDS when she arrives in Foumban. "I don't know of many journalism majors who, at 20 years old, are traveling to Africa, saving one of its most beautiful languages from going extinct, beginning an independent research project, and taking classes on top of it." Discover the World: Africa is the third global living, learning and service program introduced this year by St. John's University faculty and administrators. Last January, the University launched its inaugural Discover the World: Europe program, and in May, it unveiled Discover the World: Latin America. Tuchscherer says he hopes that Discover the World: Africa will become an annual St. John's program. **************************** Disclaimer ****************************** Copyright: In accordance with Title 17, United States Code Section 107, this material is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material posted to this list for purposes that go beyond "fair use," you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Content: The sender does not vouch for the veracity nor the accuracy of the contents of this message, which are the sole responsibility of the copyright owner. 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