A Chinese studying Igbo at Harvard

The above title is not a typo; it’s correct and probably quite a surprise to most readers. While it shouldn’t be a surprise that the Igbo language is taught at Harvard University, the world’s most prestigious university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, a Chinese studying the language for credit is quite intriguing and worthy of serious reflection.
I will not give out the student’s name because he wasn’t consulted for this write-up. He is a Chinese-American; a senior or final year Neurobiology/Pre-medical student. Upon sighting this 5 feet 10 inches tall, normal (not nerdy per the popular misconception about cerebral Ivy Leaguers), gregarious, jovial young man noted for his California style-dressing in the class, you and I would conclude that he was probably in the wrong class or a bit confused. But, his classmates last fall semester—five other students of Igbo parentage—and their instructor and her teaching assistant (both Igbo women) were anything but surprised. They have seen it before; nothing unusual.
Welcome to Harvard, the epitome of undergraduate education in the liberal arts. In that Igbo language class, as well as among all typical products of such rigorous facilitation of the development of future leaders, you are struck by their engagement in ‘dangerous’ pursuits and concern with ancient traditions, values questions and ethical concern about what it means to be human and a member of the community. Liberally educated students will also floor you with their creative freedom, demanding discipline, luminous discussions, wondrous explorations, and often captivating eloquence.

While many middle class Igbos in Igboland and other Nigerian cities have vowed not to teach the mother tongue to their children—and often beg to be excused for speaking English to the village assemblies—non-Igbos are investing heavily to develop, teach and learn the language. Only a handful of universities and colleges in Igboland today offer undergraduate courses in the language which, as you can imagine, are hardly attractive to Igbo undergraduates. Notably, the first doctorate (Ph.D.) in Igbo language studies was not awarded by an Igboland-based university. Instead, the degree was awarded by the University of Ibadan to the erudite Professor Emmanuel N. Emenanjo in 1979, though in the Linguistics Department. You would be hard pressed today to find a credible post-graduate level programmes in Igbo language studies at any of the universities in Igboland, let alone finding highly talented students eager to pursue such academic endeavours. The possible exception is the National Institute of Nigerian Languages, Aba, Abia State, but it’s no better than our other collapsing research centres.
While Harvard is probably exceptional in offering semester-long (15 weeks) courses in Igbo language, several other U.S. Title IX African area studies centres at Michigan State University; Indiana University; University of Wisconsin; and the University of California at Los Angeles frequently teach intensive or ‘immersion’ Igbo as part of the ‘Lesser Taught Foreign Languages’ grant programme funded by the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) during summer months. Occasionally, some resource-starved and little-known Historically Black Colleges and Universities, such as Fort Valley State University in Georgia, have mounted Igbo language studies. Sadly, Fort Valley’s efforts, included collaboration and faculty exchange program with Abia State University, Uturu, ended once the UDOE funding ran out and the initiator and International Studies Director, Professor Obioma Iheduru, left the university and returned to Nigeria in 2006.
The neglect for, and even disdain for, Igbo and other Nigerian languages in the homeland was the theme of a two-day International Workshop on ‘Harmonization and Standardization of Nigerian and Related Languages jointly organized by the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization and the Centre for Advanced Studies of African Society in October 2010 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. The workshop observed, inter alia, that ‘to attain development in Africa, the use of indigenous African languages is not only imperative but also strategically important.’ They also recommended ‘That projects on the harmonization and standardization of orthographies [of indigenous African languages] should be undertaken from purely Afrocentric view points and not to serve the interests of foreigners.’
Well, ‘the interests of foreigners’ are certainly being served. Witness the concerted efforts by the U.S. Departments of Defence and Homeland Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to recruit individuals with native proficiency in the Igbo and other Nigerian languages. Sometimes, native speakers of these languages have been engaged by U.S. universities to test students seeking to have the languages fulfill their foreign language requirements. Immigration courts have also seen a few of these individuals where applicants are unable or claim to be unable to speak or understand the English language.
But, why would a Neurobiologist of Chinese-American ethnicity be studying the Igbo language? The answer lies in the liberal arts tradition that pushes students to view the world as a big ball of knowledge; and they continually poke at that ball in any direction to find out what they need to pursue their ambitions.
Our friend wants to start a business that will link him up with the Igbo entrepreneurship which he got to know from his Senegalese friends before taking the Igbo language class. Don’t be surprised tomorrow if this precocious fellow teams up with the ‘invading’ Chinese from the mainland to take over the industrial development nodes sprouting in several parts of Igboland, while Ndi-Igbo are busy acquiring chains of stupid chieftaincy titles and relishing in their new-found aptitude for self-annihilation through ransom kidnapping, selfish and third-rate leadership, and accessories to continued federal government neglect and possibly fiendish calculation to checkmate ‘Igbo problem.’ Should this happen, our Chinese pal at Harvard will have epitomised the Chinese proverb which says that ‘Chance favours the prepared mind.’