US Universities Honour Two Nigerian Scholars

Tejumola Olaniyan 

University of Wisconsin, Madison has announced the appointment of Tejumola Olaniyan as its first The Wole Soyinka Professor of the Humanities.

According to the University, the award comes with $100,000.
He is one of the Professors honoured because of their major contributions to the advancement of knowledge, primarily through their research endeavours but also as a result of their teaching service activities.
This is in addition to the Louise Durham Mead Professorship in English and African Cultural Studies which Olaniyan has been holding for several years.

Olaniyan’s works include “Scars of Conquest, Masks of Resistance,” “Arrest the Music!: The Rebel Art and Politics of Fela,” “Audible Empire: Music, Global Politics, Critique,” “State and Culture in Postcolonial Africa: Enchantings,” “African Diaspora and the Disciplines,” “African Literature: An Anthology of Criticism and Theory,” and “Taking African Cartoons Seriously: Politics, Satire and Culture,” among other important works in book chapters and reputable journals.

The State University of New York at Binghamton has also announced the appointment of Nkiru Nzegwu as one of its new Distinguished Professors.

She is the first African woman to be so honoured in that university.
The university said that ”the Distinguished Professorship is conferred upon individuals who have achieved national and/ or international prominence and a distinguished reputation within their chosen field.

This distinction is attained through extraordinary contributions to and impact on the candidate’s field of study, often evidenced by significant research and/or creative activity.
Professor Nzegwu is the author of “Family Matters: Feminist Concepts in African Philosophy.”

She has edited many anthologies, written many articles and book chapters on Philosophy, Gender issues and African art.
She is a respected artist and art historian, and has curated several art exhibitions.

May 03, 2019