(English below)
Serdecznie zapraszamy na pierwszą edycję Dni Nigerii na Uniwersytecie Warszawskim – jest to seria spotkań online, która za cel stawia popularyzację badań w zakresie historii, kultur oraz szczegółowych kwestii politycznych dotyczących tego wyjątkowo intrygującego i pasjonującego zachodnioafrykańskiego państwa.
W tym roku uwagę poświęcamy czterem różnym tematom:
- zbliżającym się wyborom prezydenckim,
- kulturowemu znaczeniu oraz symbolice wody,
- nigeryjskim projektom artystycznym
- jak i interpretacji przysłów hausajęzycznych.
We would like to invite you sincerely to the first edition of Nigeria Days at the University of Warsaw – a series of online events which aims to popularize research on the history, cultures and political minutiae of the ever so intriguing and enthralling West African state.
This year we are focusing our attention on four different topics:
- the upcoming presidential elections,
- the cultural significance and symbolism of water,
- Nigerian art projects,
- as well as the interpretation of Hausa proverbs.
ENG 24th October (Monday), 6:00 p.m. (GMT+2) | Igor Grzybowski, dr Jędrzej Czerep, dr Ahmadu Shehu, Desmond Omoluru: At the Turn of Eras – Ponderings on the Current Political Climate of Nigeria
The discussion „At the Turn of Eras” will aim to run the gamut of topics pertaining to both the history as well as the development prospects in Nigeria, particularly within the framework of current electoral tensions in the country.
Some of the issues that the panel is to touch upon include: how many prospects given by the relatively undisturbed democracy have come to fruition, how many opportunities have been irreversibly wasted as well as to what extent is it possible to reenvision the Nigerian economy in the context of not only post-pandemic strife, but the Eastern European and internal crises as well.
Additionally, the panelists will strive to vocalize different views regarding who we are most likely to see seize presidential power and what challenges of modern day Nigeria he ought, unquestionably, face during his term.
Panel:
dr Jędrzej Czerep – political scientist, analyst, university lecturer, specializing in issues of fake news, post-truth, and the wider information environment. Scientifically, he deals with political processes in sub-Saharan Africa, political culture and the influence of the information environment on cognitive abilities. At Collegium Civitas, he conducts classes on Fake News, Post-Truth and Politics of Information in the 21st century, as well as on Economy and Politics of Data.
dr Ahmad Shehu – a public commentator and political activist. Associate Professor of Linguistics at Kaduna State University.
Desmond Omoluru – an economist, a political pundit and political orator, who has acquired his M.A in International Economics at the University of Warsaw and has written several articles regarding issues in Nigeria. He is an individual who is politically and economically motivated to better the lives of people through Development.
The debate will be led by Igor Grzybowski.
Link: https://uw-edu-pl.zoom.us/j/98140328710
PL 25 października (wtorek), 18:00 | dr Izabela Will: O piciu, myciu, kąpieli i potworach zamieszkujących rzeki, czyli Nigeria przez pryzmat wody
Prezentacja będzie opowieścią o życiu codziennym w Nigerii pokazanym przez pryzmat wody. Dzięki niej będziemy mieli okazję dowiedzieć się, w jaki sposób korzysta się z wody w gospodarstwie domowym, jak gromadzi się ją w sytuacji, gdy zaczyna jej brakować, w jaki sposób można wykorzystać ją do rytualnego uzdrawiania czy też walki z niepowodzeniami oraz dlaczego zbiorniki wodne mogą wzbudzać strach. Powiemy także o naczyniach związanych z przechowywaniem wody, skupiając się zarówno na tych, z których wodę się pije, jak i na tych, z których korzysta się wyłącznie przy wykonywaniu ablucji. Poruszony zostanie też temat prestiżu wody, która w zależności od opakowania, w którym jest podana, może być uznana za napój luksusowy bądź plebejski.
O każdym z wymienionych aspektów opowie dr Izabela Will – hausanistka, adiunkt w Katedrze Języków i Kultur Afryki Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego.
Link: https://uw-edu-pl.zoom.us/j/95362434595
ENG 26th October (Wednesday), 6:00 p.m. (GMT+2) | dr Malwina Bakalarska: Nigerian Creativity – from Art Recycling to Total Projects
During the lecture, examples of Nigerian creativity based on an extraordinary approach to the existing environment will be presented. What is now referred as zero waste in the Western world, in the realities of developing countries, is often applied with the principle „need is the mother of invention”. Photos and videos recorded by the speaker during her multiple research visits in the southern states of Nigeria will be presented.
Dr Malwina Bakalarska specializes in intercultural and visual communication. In the years 2007-2021, while working at the Polish Academy of Sciences, she researched the cultures of West Africa, with particular emphasis on Nigeria. She has been a trainer of intercultural communication at the European Academy of Diplomacy since 2017; and from 2019 to 2021 she conducted workshops for students of Intercultural Communication at the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Warsaw. She lived for half a year in the largest metropolis of Sub-Saharan Africa – Lagos, she also stayed in Benin, Ghana, Togo, Kenya, South Africa, Morocco and Madagascar.
Link: https://uw-edu-pl.zoom.us/j/99480000421
ENG 28th October (Friday), 6:00 p.m. (GMT+2) | Patryk Zając: Cultural Interpretation of African Proverbs as a Means to Understand Their Message
The presentation will be focused on demonstrating how to reach an understanding of the message of Hausa proverbs using methods of cultural interpretation.
The lexis of proverbs is full of words encoding culture-specific notions (known also as culture key words or culturemes). Proverbs are verbal manifestations of cultural codes that are used both consciously and unconsciously. Their message is conditioned by the context of use and is accessible only for a specific group of people (e.g. a nation, an ethnic group), while it remains hidden for other people (unless they know a specific cultural code).
Patryk Zając (AKA Malam Ɗanjuma) is a lecturer and a PhD candidate at the Chair of African Languages and Cultures, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Warsaw in Poland. His areas of research cover Hausa language and culture, paremiology and Arabic influences in African languages. He has published numerous articles in Polish and English related to those topics.
Link: https://uw-edu-pl.zoom.us/j/95553405104
Fotografie / Photographs:
- Canoe artwork, Lagos (Ayoola Salako): https://unsplash.com/photos/BIxYFpzL-hE
- Port Harcourt, Nigeria – October 20, 2020: Protesters walking around the city of Port Harcourt with placards and sign for the #Endsars protests in Nigeria, and the country’s flag (Emmanuel Ikwuegbu): https://unsplash.com/photos/T4q6ZPpYjog
- Picie, mycie… (Izabela Will)
- Nigerian Creativity… (Malwina Bakalarska)
- Cultural Interpretation… (Patryk Zając)
Międzywydziałowe Koło Afrykanistyczne UW 