⁣ Dr. Ama Mazama - Homeschooling African American Children [2013]

Ama Mazama (aka Marie-Josée Cérol) is Associate Professor and Director of the Graduate Programs of the Department of Africa American Studies at Temple University. She received her PhD with highest distinction from La Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris III. After graduating from La Sorbonne with Highest Distinction in Linguistics for her doctorarte, Professor Ama Mazama taught at the University of Texas, Pennsylvania State University, before arriving at Temple University in l993. She established a reputation as the principal exponent of the African origin of the Guadeloupian language. In two books, Langue et Identité en Guadeloupe: Une Perspective Afrocentrique and Une Introduction au Créole Guadeloupéen.She is the Managing Editor of the Journal of Black Studies. Her publications appear in journals in three continents. Well known as an educational consultant for the infusion of African content in American schools Mazama has written several books for teachers in addition to her major scholarly works in Afrocentric philosophy and theory. Two co-edited encyclopedias, the Encyclopedia of Black Studies and the Encyclopedia of African Religion, earned praise for their pioneering work from the National Council of Black Studies. Her scholarly works critique domination and hegemonic philosophies, reveal the cultural, linguistic, and religious bases of Caribbean culture, especially Vodu, and examine cultural and critical methods of establishing an ethic of justice and equity.

Dr. Ọbádélé Kambon and Dr. Reginald Akuɔko Duah
LAG 2015 ||| KNUST College of Science
July 29, 2015 ||| 3:30PM

Non-African Linguists be like “This is a new way to quote!”
Abstract:
While conventional wisdom tells us that Asante Twi complementizer sɛ is derived from se 'say' (Amfo, 2010; E. Kweku Osam, 1994; E Kweku Osam, 1996), it is at least worth considering that understanding it as connected to homophone and homonym sɛ 'be like, resemble' would, indeed, be like the Black English way of quoting as noted by Lord (1993:151). The complementizer sɛ is typically glossed as ‘that.’ However, a corpus-based analysis of Asante Twi’s perhaps not-so-distant cousin, Black English, may point us to a more accurate alternative gloss, ‘(be) like’. It has been found that “‘be like’ is now so widely used it accounted for 20 percent of similar uses of the verb ‘be’ among a group of young AAE speakers in North Carolina” (Peterson, 2015). Asante Twi may help us understand the variable context in which aspectual/habitual be is found and also the varied context in which like is found, both of which linguists have found to be “notoriously difficult” to understand against the backdrop of European-descended varieties of English (Hofwegen & Farrington, 2015). We argue that Asante Twi sɛ is glossed as ‘that’, not from language-internal evidence, but because of recourse to glossing into “Standard English” rather than Black English which, in actuality, may be more reflective of what is going on in African languages and vice-versa. The connection between Black English be like and Asante Twi sɛ form may be a case of a common African (diasporan and continental) solution to a common linguistic problem.

A Study of Parallel Proverbs in Akan (Twi) and KiswahiliDr. Ọbádélé Kambon and Dr. Josephine Dzahene-QuarshieLAG 2015 ||| TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015 ||| 8:30AMKNUST ||| COLLEGE OF SCIENCETwiSwahili or KiswaTwili: A Study of Parallel Proverbs in Akan (Twi) and KiswahiliAbstractIn Akan and Kiswahili, there are several proverbs that express the same underlying idea, oftentimes in the exact same or similar ways. Examples of these include:1. a. Kikulacho kinguoni mwakoThat which eats you (up) is in your clothingb. Aboa bi bɛkawo a, naɛfiri wo ntoma mu If a bug will bite you, it’s from in your cloth2. a. Chakula chema hakihitaji kawaGood food needs no coverlet against the flies. b. Adepa tɔn ne ho A good thing sells itself. c. Nkyene nkamfo ne ho. Salt does not praise itself.There are several possible reasons why these parallel proverbs exist. In one line of thinking, the similarities may be due to contact phenomena such as shared cultural and/or historical experiences. Another perspective may be due to the demonstrably genetic relationship between Akan and Kiswahili languages. In this study, however, we will examine these proverbs in parallel or near-parallel and demonstrate that regardless of the facts of the two aforementioned lines of inquiry, these proverbs attest to a shared African worldview.

⁣Dr. Obadele Kambon: Africanisms in Contemporary English

Opening Keynote Speech
SOS Hermann Gmeiner International College
Model African Union Conference
24 May 2014

Foundations of African Thought Class #1
Dr. Obadele Kambon
Institute of African Studies
AFST 638
4 February 2016

Why Gandhi Must Fall [Complete]

⁣Academic Writing: Overcoming the Blank Page

⁣Academic Writing Class