Fore-runners
Of French
In Nigeria
Focus on University Teachers
Tunde Ajiboye
Editor
PROF. FEMI OJO-ADE: A SINGER OF
BLACK POTENTIALS
Bukoye Arcnvolo
Department of French, University of florin, florin.
Introduction
The beginning terrain of French Studies in Nigeria.
especially at the University level in the early 1960s was
dominated by expatriate lecturers. Such understandably
included Henri GJ Evans. Wilfred Feuser, kins Mackward,
C.M.B Biann. among several others.
These expatriate teachers did everything to give the
subject the strong foothold in the curriculum of the
Nigerian University system. In real terms, these men and
women from elsewhere dedicated to the course of French
teaching and learning should be considered as avant-gardes.
if not the forerunners, of French in Nigeria.
By the late 1960"s, indigenous scholars in French
Studies had started to emerge, albeit in trickles. This new
crop of scholars constituted mainly of disciples (former
students) of these expatriates and some others who had
studied abroad. This group included Abiola Irele.
(University of Ibadan). I.T.K. Egonu (University of Nigeria,
Nsukka), Ade Kukoyi (University of Lagos), Sola Oke.
Emmanuel Nwezeh and of course, Femi Ojo-Ade
(University of Ife), the
review among others.
subject of this communication
Locating Femi Ojo-Ade
Prof. Femi Ojo-Ade belongs to the second group of new
French scholars who had their higher education abroad, he
having left the shores of Nigeria after his Cambridge Higher
School Certificate at the famous Government College,
Ibadan in 1%1. Since that year to date Femi Ojo-Ade's
studies and research, and speaking engagements have been
taking him round the four continents of Africa, Europe,
North America, South America and, of course, the
Caribbean Islands, his preoccupation being the gospel of
Black potentials. Femi Ojo-Ade joined the University of Ife
(now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife) as a lecturer in
1969 after a 2-year stint of teaching assistantship at the
Queen University, Kingston, as one of the first indigenous
scholars in French Studies. Within eleven years, he rose to
the position of Professor of Foreign Languages (1980)
becoming the second Nigerian to reach such a height after
Abiola Irele. Though he officially remained at Ife up till the
year 1990, the ever-vivacious and highly mobile and
sought-after scholar, Ojo-Ade, was during most of the
period at Ife, a visiting Professor to several Universities in
North and South America. Also, his prolific creative and
critical productions in four European languages have
earned him several national and international awards.
Ojo-Ade and His Works
The more the works of Ojo-Ade are studied, the
more enigmatic he appears and the more overwhelmed is
the student by their quantity and diversity. The dexterous
use of English, French, Spanish, Portuguese (and
sometimes Yoruba) in his works makes him stand oul as a
true Professor of Foreign Languages.
Nevertheless, he merely applies the languages as a
means of projecting (communicating) his principal
obsession with Black culture (s) and potentials, and to incite
the Blackman to take his destiny in his own hands. Thus the
rallying point of all his critical essays or even his creative
works, in whichever of the four languages, is the defence of
Black culture.
Prof. Ojo-Ade's definition of culture is the totality
of the life of a group. He, therefore, deplores the rabid
adoption of European culture by Africans. In defence of
Black Culture, he seeks to demystify the European claim of
superior culture and rejects the Eurocentric definition of
culture which creates the impression of a culture-less Africa
whose subhuman inhabitants need to be "civilized and
humanized".
Prof. Ojo-Ade believes that he has the
compelling responsibility to rehabilitate his own culture.
He considers every indiscriminate adoption of the
colonialist (imperialist) culture as despicable. The Black
intellectual should use the insight he has gained from the
exposure to other cultures to liberate both himself and his
original culture. Concerning religion, an important aspect
of culture, Ojo-Ade calls for the return of the Blackman,
especially the African, to his original religion. This, to
him, is an area of culture that needs to be jealously
preserved. The Blackman may have nothing to do with
imported religions, that is both Christianity and Islam. To
him, Christianity is an elevated form of slavery; in fact, it
is a scourge of the African society. He sees Christianity
as white and a ready tool to keep the Black in spiritual
oppression, and make him happy with poverty and other
plagues brought upon him by colonialism. He deplores
the roles played by missionaries who brought the religion
during the pacification project. He commends the re.awakening of the Blacks in the diaspora where there is
the search for, and the adoption of African culture. He
surmises that whatever the divergence in the ways of life
of the Whiteman and the Blackman, there are similarities
in their faith. The basis of the spirituality in both is the
existence of a supreme being. Therefore, the Blackman
need not abandon his tradition of reaching out to his God.
Art or creative activity is seen as a process of
culture and its fundamental expression is in
communication. Literature, as a creative enterprise,
cannot be discussed outside language as it helps
language to grow. The oppressed Black intellectual
should use his knowledge of the language of the
oppressor to advantage. He should not only master it to
dominate it, he should also use it as a tool to overthrow
the oppressor. Black literature in European languages
should be utilitarian and serve a social function. The
oppressed Blackman should not tinker yet with the idea
of art for art's sake. He has to wait till he finds his
freedom and he is at ease.
Ojo-Ade and European Languages
The theory of Black Literature is amply
exemplified in Ojo-Ade's critical works which are in
four European Languages: English, French, Spanish and
Portuguese. These languages, foisted on Africa, cannot
be done away with for practical reasons. They should,
however, stop being the languages of colonization and
acculturation to become vehicles of communication.
They should be integrated into what he describes as the
liberating process to protect our culture and the ability to
project same. As a literary theorist and critic and an
Africanist, Ojo-Ade appropriates the four languages of
the (former) colonizers to further the cause of Black
literary culture. His enormous contributions to Black
culture are epitomized by the several books solely
authored by him, his journal articles, and chapters in
books of readings. His foray into Black cultural and
literary scholarship includes studies on culture as
manifested by Black societies be it in Africa, the
Americas or the Caribbean Islands.
His studies on various literatures of Black
societies portray not only a lot of empathy but also
applause to the societies, especially \ia \\riters in the
Black Diaspora who Struggle to sustain the culture of the
native land-Africa. In the same vein, he condemns those
Black writers in the Diaspora who look at Black culture
from the Eurocentric point of view. As for the homebased African writers, he treats with disdain those
seeking to please Western critics and, in the attempt,
ignore or denigrate the cultural practice of Africa.
It is worthy of note that, in his versatility, Prof.
Ojo-Ade has worked in all areas of Black Literature
(except perhaps Black American). He has published in
the areas of African Literature in French and English,
South American Literature in Spanish and Portuguese;
Caribbean Literature in English and French. Besides, he
has published several award-wining novels. He is also a
poet.
Conclusion
Prof. Feini (>|o Adc, apart from his general
contribution to the Black Culture and literary theory, also
shows himself as a committed teacher. His accessibility and
desire to help students even as Head of Department for almost
10 yeais ,u Mr made him stand out among his peers. In those
vcais .it lie, he trained many students at both undergraduate
and post-graduate levels, most of them spread ,nl mei I!IL
umld uul.r, |MIIMIIIIS_' various careers. He is ever ready to
impait and share knowledge with students and colleagues
Find below a toast off Prof Ojo-Ade's indelible works:
Books
Ojo-Ade, Femi (1977): Analytic index to Presence Africaine,
Washington D. C. Three Continents Press.
Ojo-Ade, Femi (1984): Rene Maran: The Black Frenchman.
Washington DC. Three Continents Press.
Ojo-Ade. Femi (1987): On Black Culture, Ile-Ife, Obafemi
Awolowo University Press.
Ojo-Ade, Femi (1996): Being Black, Being Human: More
Essays on Black Culture, Ile-Ife, Obafemi Awolowo
University Press.
Ojo-Ade, Femi (1996): Of Dreams Deferred, Dead or Alive,
African Perspectives of African-American Writers,.
Greenwood Press Westport, CT.
Ojo-Ade. Femi (1999) Ken Saro-Wiwa: A Bio-critical Study,
African;! Legacy Press, New York.
Ojo-Ade, Femi (2001): The Death of a Myth: Critical Essays on
Nigeria. Trenton, N.I: Africa World Press.
Articles
Ojo Ade, Femi (1978): 'Problem of Translation m African I
Literature: An Example of Aime Cesaire's La tragedie du
roi Christophe’ Obsidian, vol. iv no 2, pp. 47-68.
Ojo-Ade. Femi (1978-79): "Rene Maran devant la critique',
Oeuvre et Critique, 111 2-iv pp. 143-155.
Ojo-Ade, Femi (1981): 'Question de metissage culture! question
de superiorite blanehe:Une lecture de deux romans de
Camara Laye. 'Peuples noirs, peuples africains, 19, pp.
60-94.
Ojo-Ade. Femi "La romanciere afncaine face a la realite sociopolitique: L'exemple d'Alonga de Le-Rawiri"
Conjunction, 65, avril, 1985 pp.61-86.
Ojo-Ade, Femi (1988): "Women and the Nigerian Civil War:
Buchi Emecheta and Flora Nwapa" Etudes GennanoAfricaines, 6 (1988) p.75-86.
Ojo-Ade, Femi (1990): "Creativity and Criticism in African
Literature: Revisioning of Roles and Responsibilities".
New Canadian Review Vol. 2 No. 2 1990 pp. 36-59.
Ojo-Ade, Femi (1991): "Of Culture, Commitment and
Construction Retlections of African Literature"
Trans/lion 53. ( 1991) pg. 4-24.
Ojo-Ade. Femi (1993): "Coloi. (lass and (iender in Michele
Lacrosil's Novels" The Literary Griot. Vol. 5 No. 1
Spring/fail, pp. 25-50.
Ojo-Ade. Femi (1999) Les écrivains du Nigeria: narcissme et
nationalisme". The Literary Griot. Vol. 11 No. 2 Fall.
pp. 35- 55.
Ojo-Ade. l-emi (2001): "Africans am! Racism m the new
millennium". Journal of the Black Studies Vol. 32. No.2 pp.
pp. 184-21 1
Books: Creative Works
Ojo-Ade, Femi (199S) Exile at Home (Poetry): Ibadan.
International Publishers
Ojo-Ade. Femi (2001): Dead End (Novel).
College Press.
Ibadan.
The
Ojo-Ade. Femi (2001): Black Gods (Short stories)
Francisco, African Heritage Press.
San
Contribution to Books
Ojo-Ade, Femi (1979):" Leon Gontras Dainas. cet Afncain
deracme." In Hommage Post/mine a Leon Gontras
Datnas. Paris/Dakar: Presene Africaine. pp. 154-171.
Ojo-Ade. Femi (1990): "Of Human Trials and Triumphs: Bessie
Head's collection of Treasures" In Cecil Abrahams ed.
The Tragic Life: Head and Literature in South Africa..
Trenton: Africa World Press, pp. 338-357.
Ojo-Ade, Femi (1997): "Caribbean Negritude and Africa:
Aspects of Black Dilemma" In A. James Arnold (ed). A
History of Literature in the Caribbean, Amsterdam/
Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.. pp.
357-373.
Ojo-Ade, Femi (1999): " Black Brazil: African Notes on a new
Negritude" in Lary Cole and Randal Johnson eds. Black
Brazil: Culture, Identity and Social Mobilization. Los
Angeles, American Centre. UCLA. pp.35-50
Ojo-Ade. Femi (2002): "Wonder of the African World: Another
wake-up call for Africans" In Niyi Afolabi (ed).
Cultural Patrimony: Africa. New World Connection and
Identities African World Press Social Mobilization. Los
Angeles, American Centre UCLA, pp. 35-50.