TTU hosts evening of Nigerian culture, literature
In Nigeria, "Cha Kpii!” is the call used by storytellers to seize a listener's attention; it is an invitation to enter into the magic of a story — to participate and respond.
Obiajulu Emejulu extends his "Cha Kpii” (pronounced cha-PEE) call to Tennessee Tech University students and the community in order to share the same folktales, songs and rhymes he uses to battle the overwhelming illiteracy rate in Nigeria — Africa’s most populous country.
The Center Stage event, scheduled for 7 p.m., Monday, April 12, at the Wesley Arena Theatre located one block east of campus at 271 E. Ninth St., is free and open to the public. TTU students will receive priority seating.
Emejulu is an associate professor of communication and language arts and directorate of general studies at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, in Imo State, Nigeria. He is also the immediate past president of the Reading Association of Nigeria, an association of Nigerian teachers and other education professionals committed to literacy empowerment across all social classes. The Reading Association of Nigeria is an affiliate of the International Reading Association based in Newark, Del.
“Although Dr. Emejulu is known in many places of the world as a scholar dedicated to battling illiteracy, especially in his home country of Nigeria, he possesses a gift for connecting deeply with everyone he meets,” said Shannon D. Collins, an associate professor of curriculum and instruction at TTU and organizer of the Upper Cumberland Writing Project.
The UCWP, the third National Writing Project site in Tennessee, is a professional development program for teachers at all grade levels and disciplines that was founded at TTU.
This won’t be the first time Emejulu has visited TTU. He served as a visiting scholar in the 2008 inaugural session of the UCWP’s summer institute.
“That encounter was a life-changing experience that has given rise to this second one and will yet bear many more fruit, given the great dynamism and talents of the initiator, Shannon Collins,” said Emejulu about his first visit in 2008.
“Obiajulu’s visit to Cookeville is important not only because he brings to us a slice of the world many of us may never get to experience, but his compassion and stories demonstrate how we are all related as human beings,” Collins said.
Collins, a 2009 recipient of TTU’s Outstanding Faculty Award in Teaching, has been planning for the event for nearly 18 months and encountered several difficulties while trying to get Emejulu cleared to return to the United States.
“Completing and synchronizing the paperwork required by two countries, as well as the documentation required by the IRS and the university, was nothing short of attempting to simultaneously spin a thousand plates,” Collins said. “One missed deadline or a single forgotten form would require the process to restart from the beginning. Obiajulu’s visit would not be possible if not for several dedicated and amazing people in various positions at Tennessee Tech.”
During his visit, Emejulu plans to visit and speak at a few Putnam County Schools about his culture and the power of literacy. He will also meet with teachers currently part of the UCWP to share his experiences and vision.
Robert L. Owens, director of minority affairs and co-sponsor of the visit, will host Emejulu during a forum with members of TTU’s minority community as well as help arrange visits to select classes on campus.
“It is a rare honor and privilege for me as a teacher in Nigeria to be invited to share aspects of the fast-changing culture, stories and songs of my people — and the work I do with Nigerian children and teachers — with students of TTU as well as the entire university community,” Emejulu said. “I look forward to the exchange with humility and tremendous excitement.”
For more information, contact Collins at 931-372-6265 or
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