The African Pragmatics Association (APrA) kicked off the third edition of its continent-wide conference with the theme ‘Pragmatics and Global Security’ yesterday at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
The event which drew scholars from various regions in Africa and is expected to end tomorrow, Wednesday, February 21 2024, was organised by the association in conjunction with the University of Ibadan’s premier Department of English, the oldest in Nigeria. Held at the Otunba Subomi Balogun Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, the conference was both physical and virtual.
While declaring the conference open yesterday, Monday, February 19, 2024, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Kayode Adebowale, thanked the association and the Department of English for putting the event together, while noting that the University of Ibadan has remained the flagship of research and knowledge production in Nigeria.
With delight, he announced that “just last year during our 75th anniversary, the University of Ibadan produced 722 doctoral graduates, which I know undoubtedly is one of the highest or largest in the African continent. This is because the university over the years is planning a transition to be a postgraduate university. So gradually every year we reduce our undergraduate admission and increase our admission of postgraduate students to an extent that now we are inching very close.
“On behalf of the university, let me welcome you to the University of Ibadan the first and the best. I especially want to welcome my colleague, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon, who also doubles as the President of the African Pragmatics Association. It is also very interesting to know that the University of Ibadan and the University of Ghana share the same year of establishment in 1948.
“Let me also congratulate the Head of the Department of English, Professor Nelson Olabanji Fashina and the entire members of the premier department for successfully hosting this international conference in collaboration with the African Pragmatics Association. He expressed delight as the chief host of the programme.
“Congratulations also to my friend and brother, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor S.O. Oyetade who is serving as the co-host on behalf of the University of Ibadan. We are glad to host this international conference with the theme: ‘Pragmatics and Global Security’. I must confess that this is a very timely theme, especially regarding the situation we have found ourselves. This is not only in this country but also in Africa and our world today. Human security has recently become a global challenge threatening even our corporate existence.
“We are indeed delighted and also at the same time very hopeful that if we are not asking for too much the fruitful presentations and discussions here will mark the beginning of the end of the security challenges in Nigeria, Africa and also the world.”
Speaking earlier, the head of the Department of English, Professor Nelson Fashina expressed delight, saying that hosting an international conference of this sort was worth it. According to him, “I seize this opportunity as Head of the Department of English to welcome everybody to his historical occasion. And to say that historically, this is the third in the series of conferences held by the APrA worldwide. And I inherited it when I became the HOD on August 1 2023. We have been working to make sure today comes to be.
“First and foremost, let me say it is significant that our department is hosting this particular conference with the African Pragmatics Association, especially in a moment like this when the whole world is engulfed in the quagmire of insecurity. So the theme of this particular conference, ‘Pragmatics and Global Security’, is very timely.
“We wish we would be able to contribute to the various efforts of the government and other agencies to solve the security problem in Nigeria especially but also around the world. And as a result, we want to believe that whatever is extracted from the conference would be made available to the government and the security agencies to make them recognise the place of language in national security. Pragmatics is really very delicate a concept which may not yield itself easily to people who are not familiar with linguistics, but it is an attempt to bring language to the social context whereby we see language as an action of itself.
“The English Department is the premier English Department in Nigeria, and we have a foundation of excellence inherited from our academic forefathers. Of course, Wole Soyinka is from our department, Chinua Achebe is from our department, J. P. Clark is from the department. All the people who are foremost in African scholarship are from the Department of English.”
In her address, the chair of the African Pragmatics Association and Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, thanked the University of Ibadan for hosting the conference and also praised the commitment of the participants to scholarship that is transformative to society. “It is a privilege to welcome you all to the third African Pragmatics Association’s conference. This year’s conference as we have heard is the third in the series of the conferences organised by APrA. The first was held at the University of Ghana, Legon, in 2020 when the association was birthed and the second was at the University of Kenya, Nairobi in 2022. These two conferences have brought together different scholars, language scholars and pragmatics enthusiasts from Africa and around the world. For an association like ours, it is significant for us to have sustained this tradition of engaging in intellectual discussions to positively affect our continent as far as issues of language and its use in society and its impacts on our development is concerned. The thought-provoking discussions started at these conferences have continued long after these meetings.
“I would like to thank colleagues from Kenya for successfully hosting the second African Pragmatics conference in Nairobi Kenya two years ago, especially during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainties surrounding that.
“I’m confident that this year’s conference, themed: Pragmatics and Global Security, will be equally insightful. Pragmatics has a vital role to play in various facets of our lives which include security, and has the potential to improve communication, strengthen diplomacy and foster effective cooperation within and among nations. Furthermore, it has the potential to aid the understanding of the strategies, motivations and communication methods employed by malicious actors such as actors of cybercrime. This is even more important in today’s digital age. It helps to uncover implicit messages and potential threats embedded in digital communications.
“Focusing on the theme of pragmatics and global security will help us interrogate cultural, religious and linguistic gaps which affect our security. Hopefully, discussions at this conference will enhance our understanding of global security issues and will be a step in promoting peaceful resolutions along a range of sectors.
“This conference received over 200 abstract submissions allowing for a rich and diverse programme. We are honoured to have participation from numerous countries including Ghana, Niger, the United States of America, Kenya, Cameroon, India, Germany, Trinidad, and the Netherlands. Beyond research activities, this conference provides a valuable platform for networking and socialisation. It offers students, researchers, both upcoming and established and professionals an opportunity to expand their networks through fruitful interactions with like-minded individuals.
“Let me thank my colleague Vice Chancellor for his generosity and for hosting me. Together, let us further the field of Pragmatics as we stimulate ourselves with engaging intellectual conversations, expand our networks and build partnerships which will hopefully last us and our career. I wish us all a fruitful conference and I thank you for your attention,” she said.
