UI Hosts Symposium and Exhibition of the Black Orpheus Berlin-Ibadan-Bordeaux (BOBIB) Project

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, of the University of Ibadan, Professor Peter O. Olapegba, FNPA, fspsp, C.Psych, FSSAN has recognized the good works of two German literary executors - Ulli Beier and Janheinze Jahn, who co-founded the Black Orpheus in 1957, in Ibadan.

He said the University is appreciative of their efforts to reclaim the voice of black writers during the decades of decolonization, stating that the founding of the University of Ibadan in 1948 was a foundational catalyst to the formation of the Black Orpheus.

Professor Olapegba appreciated the efforts of the research team led by Professor Remi Raji-Oyelade of the UI Department of English for organizing the BOBIB symposium/ exhibition, which according to him will further give the university international visibility. 

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor said the need for Africans to tell their own stories was apparent, stating that our traditional oral literature and traditions were not properly documented and therefore, the timing of the exhibition was right. 

He noted that the exhibition would offer an opportunity to learn, access information about African literary works and inspire young writers to strive for great heights, as well as take scholarly writings to another level. 

The DVC appreciated the German government through the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for its long-standing relationship and support for humanitarian studies and literature in Africa. 

The Consul-General of the German Consulate in Lagos, Mr Daniel Krull, said that the exhibition would reveal the interwoven relationship between Europe and Africa and offer an opportunity for participants to learn about the history of existing bilateral relationships. 

He acknowledged the exhibition as a laudable initiative that will make African literary works more visible and reenact the spirit that drives African literature. 

Professor Remi Raji-Oyelade had earlier explained that the exhibition is a transnational project between Nigeria, France and Germany. 

He stated that participants would learn the history of multinational relationships that address challenges and advance research and make research works more visible. 

Professor Raji-Oyelade noted that the BOBIB exhibition features poster overviews of African writers, which according to him aligns with the Black Orpheus vision to be a platform for the creative expressions of emergent African diasporic writing. 

He added that the Black Orpheus was used to publish the indigenous narratives and lores of African creative imagination and was the first sustained journal of literary studies and creative writing to be devoted to African writing in English. 

Given the different aspects to be explored, he stated that the exhibition, which is being organized in collaboration with the Kenneth Dike Library will be open for a month. 

The Principal Investigator of the project, Professor Susanne Gehrmann from Germany explained that the project is funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany and offers the privilege to read through black affairs history and relive the memories of the transition from precolonial era to the colonial era. 

She donated 20 Archival Boxes to the university to be deposited in the University Library for research and to gain historical perspectives of African literature.