WASHINGTON (December 12, 2018) – The U.S. State Department of Education's International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) office has awarded the Howard University Center for African Studies $159,888 to fund two consecutive summers of the Yoruba Group Project, which helps students to study at the University of Ibadan’s Yoruba Language Center in Nigeria. Titled the Yoruba Group Project Abroad, this is the second cycle of funding for the rare, study abroad learning opportunity made possible through the Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Program. Howard University is the only institution of higher learning in the United States to manage the project for the next two summers.

“We are pleased to receive this grant for the second year, which will provide the opportunity for our students to study at the University of Ibadan,” says Anthony K. Wutoh, Ph.D., Howard University Provost and Chief Academic Officer. “Congratulations to Professor Omolola, and his team for their hard work and contributions leading to funding of this award again.”

Bayo Omolola, Ph.D. is Director of the Yoruba Group Project Abroad and lecturer in the Department of World Languages and Cultures. He says the purpose of the grant is to provide a unique learning opportunity for qualified American students taking Yoruba courses in American colleges. The goal is to help participants in the program to acquire advanced Yoruba language and culture proficiency that will allow them to use their communication skills in various forms.

“I am really excited and prepared for another cycle of the Fulbright-Hays intensive Advanced Yoruba Group Project Abroad,” says Omolola. “The students selected will have an amazing opportunity to immerse themselves into Yoruba language and culture at a fast pace – the type they’ve never had in America. I’m looking forward to working the local educators and language partners in Yoruba to enhance the participants’ communications skills and cultural awareness.”

Last summer, 12 students traveled to Yoruba for the project. Omolola says the project enriched the cohort tremendously by exposing them to Nigeria, a culturally and linguistically rich region of West Africa. James Davis, Ph.D., Acting Chairperson for the Department of World Languages and Cultures and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences is celebrating the news.

“Our Yoruba language and culture curriculum will be abundantly enhanced by the two-year group project award. We are overjoyed to have been selected,” Davis explains.

The department now looks ahead to selecting a new cohort of students for next summer’s educational excursion. Mbye Cham, Ph.D., Director of the Center for African Studies, says, the grant confirms the University’s leadership position in the teaching of African languages in the United States. 

“This comes at a moment when Howard University also received the second consecutive four-year cycle of another grant from the US Department of Education’s Title VI National Resource Centers and Foreign Language and Area Fellowships program,” Cham explains. “Hearty congratulations to Dr. Omolola and his team.”

The Yoruba Group Project Abroad program is currently accepting applications from interested students from now until February 2019. For additional information on the program, including eligibility requirements, application deadlines and a full overview of the program, visit https://cfas.howard.edu/academics/study-abroad/yoruba.

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About the Howard University Center for African Studies

The Howard University Center for African Studies (CfAS) is a comprehensive Title VI National Resource Center and a campus-wide hub that supports and enhances Africa-related teaching and research across Howard University’s schools, academic departments and centers. In accordance with the mission and vision of Howard University, the Center works to consolidate and expand the legacy of HU as a leader for America and the global community in relation to the study of Africa. The Center promotes and supports teaching of African languages (Amharic, Arabic, Somali, Swahili, Wolof, Yoruba and Zulu) in the Department of World Languages and Cultures, as well as research, instruction and training in other academic and professional fields to provide a fuller understanding of Africa. Visit https://cfas.howard.edufor more information.

Media contact: Ramzey Smith, Office of University Communications, Ramzey.smith@howard.edu