International humanities scholars storm UI

No fewer than 18 international scholars and 25 young doctoral participants in the field of humanities will storm the University of Ibadan for the first ever Humboldt Kolleg Conference to be held in the premier institution.

The international conference which will attract participants from Tanzania, Zambia, Kenya, Nigeria, Togo and other African countries is entitled: “Of Texts, Spaces, Signs, and Symbols: Questing Corpora for Translational Research in the Humanities”, would hold at The Conference Centre of the University from Monday 19^th to Thursday 22^nd, February 2018.

The conference is sponsored by the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung Foundation, a German-based organization.

Dignitaries expected at the opening include the Consul General, Federal Republic of Germany in Nigeria, Mr. Ingo Herbert (Special Guest of Honour), Prof. Sussane Gehrmann of Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany (key speaker), Emeritus Prof. Ayo Banjo (Chairman of occasion) and the Vice Chancellor, UI, Prof. Idowu Olayinka.

The Convener of the conference, Prof. Aderemi Raji-Oyelade while speaking at a press conference to herald the said the main focus of the four days conference is to provide opportunity for career networking between established, renowned and accomplished scholars in the field of humanities with the young minds who are aspiring to make their parts and contribute to knowledge.

According to Raji-Oyelade who was also a 2017 winner of the Humboldt Kolleg Award, many of the international scholars expected to deliver a paper at the conference are coming to Nigeria for the first time and would as such create the opportunity for young scholars to learn and even share their new ideas for improvement.

Flanked by other members of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), the former dean of the Faculties of Arts, explained that the conference will also among other things help to create a new culture of making Africans see themselves  as Africans, understand the similarities, codify same and seek ways of harnessing the potentials through the humanities.

Noting that text, spaces, signs and symbols as adopted in the title of the conference, have shaped studies in the humanities over the years and as such define the international interrelations and activities.

He warned that the way scholars are relegating the studies of humanities to the sciences may pose some danger for development in the coming years, noting that the time is ripe for scholars in the field of science to embrace the basis of all knowledge which is humanities if solutions must be proffered to the myriads of socio-economic challenges of the time.

Speaking in same vein, the Chairman of the LOC of the conference, Dr. Adedoyin Aguoru said the young scholars at attending the conference will not only learn from the globally recognize scholars but would be allowed to express themselves during the workshop sessions so as to have a firsthand assessment of how they are going about their research and how to get globally acclaimed result. She emphasized that the opportunity of the rapport will also give room for better mentoring of the young scholars by the renowned international scholars.

Other members of the LOC at the briefing include, Mr. Akin Tella, Dr. Senayon Olaoluwa, Dr. Charles Akinsete and Dr. Demola Idowu.

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