The Lecturers
Hallo,
My Name is Kwadwo Owusu Ansah.
I am the tutor for the Beginners and Children Twi courses.
I grew up in Ghana for the most part of my life but currently live and study in Germany. The Twi language is important to me because it is part of my heritage and culture. Furthermore, I like how it composes a mix of complicated pronunciations with simple grammatical structure and a vivid use of imagery. Teaching Twi has become a passion that enables me to pass on a fraction of my culture to others, who share interest in learning it. Teaching children especially, is fundamental to create a basis on which the children can build on from young age and quickly connect with their roots.
Hallo,
My Name is Richard Jnr. Bonnie.
I am founder of Afro-lingua Institute. For the Sankofa language school, I design and lecture beginner to advanced courses in Twi (Akan).
Research, technological development, teaching and learning of African languages could not be more crucial in our current world. I believe the development and empowerment of African societies globally is closely tied to the development of African languages, and I am very excited to contribute to this cause.
Hello,
My name is Dorcas Naa Aku Shika Abbosey Bening,
I am your instructor for the GA course. I'm from Sempe, a small fishing community in Accra. I live and study in Germany and hold a Masters in International Relations & Cultural Diplomacy.
Ga is the most widely spoken dialect across the shores of Accra and its environs. The Ga language has roots from Ile-ife in Nigeria. It is a sweet language with a strong nasal and tonal effect. The emphasis in the language comes from the rise and fall of words.
I am pleased to connect with the diaspora and to teach you the simple and yet powerful language of the people of Accra.
Hallo,
My Name is Josephine Nairesiae.
I will be taking the lead in learning with you the Swahili A1 course.
I studied and thought as a Swahili and History teacher in Kenya. Language is a key to the culture, so is Swahili Language to the East African.
Swahili is one of the most spoken language in Africa as well considered as an easy language to learn, with easy phonetics and to almost no complex tonation of the words. The Grammar is however broad and interesting to learn.
I am looking forward to be part of your new language acquisition.
Hallo,
My Name is Osawa Obonyo.
I am from Mombasa and it's a coastal region in Kenya where Swahili is the dominant language spoken by all communities residing in it.
Swahili is a very old rich language spoken in more than five countries and carries in it rich history and culture of different ethnicities which contributed to its development as a language.
I am honoured to be the one to reveal its intricacy to you. I am looking forward to our interactions in the duration of the course.
Hallo,
My Name is Dr. Fatou Cisse Kane.
I did my PhD at the Institute of African Studies and Egyptology, University of Cologne, Germany.
My PhD topic was about the description of Oniyan : an senegalese language spoken in the south of Senegal.
I also did some work about «taboo and intimicy» and «language of hospitality» within the Wolof culture published online by "The Mouth".
Between 2017 to 2019, I joined some colleagues working at the African Institut on a project about Mallorca's tourism and migration.
Hallo,
My Name is Andrea Christa Manuel.
I'm the course instructor for Lingala.
Lingala is the language spoken in both Congo and Angola. It belongs to the Bantu languages and is spoken by over 10 million people.
It is very important to me that the African languages persist and not become extinct. They belong to our culture and thus also to our identity.
It is important to me to pass on part of my culture to interested people and to pass it on so that our legacy remains. Lingala is a very nice, simple language that you have to know! This makes it all the more important to pass on part of our African culture and tradition to the children.
So here in the diaspora I can establish a connection to Africa and strengthen the self-image of black people!
Hallo,
My Name is Samuel Olawale Olatidoye.
I am going to be teaching Yoruba for beginners and advanced level. I grew up partly in Nigeria, before moving to Italy and even after I left, my parents never stopped reminding me of my cultural heritage by constantly speaking my language to me.
Yoruba is a very interesting language because it is very deep and also because you don’t speak it but you sing it.
I personally feel like it's very important that we, as a community of African descent should proudly keep our languages alive by practicing them, as a way to connect us to our roots and heritage.
Hallo,
My Name is Stanely Izuchukwu Ukonu.
I am your favorite Igbo teacher.
I am a native of Nigeria, Igbo to be precise, and I am proud to teach my language and my culture to the people in the diaspora. I have my B.A. in Computer Science from Imo State University Nigeria. I lived most of my life in Nigeria before I moved to Switzerland to do my Masters also in Computer Science. The rest is history. As part of the lingua, I am currently learning German in order to learn more about the culture of my new place of residence. Living in a different country and learning new languages, have given me a better understanding of the process of teaching a new language. I take advantage of my personal experience in order to implement it to my teaching methods.
I look forward to your registration and an exciting course at the Sankofa language school.
Hallo,
My Name is Akossiwa Iletou Fondoumi.
I am a native of Togo West Africa. A country with over 40 languages and a variety of dialects, valued by the people. Botokoin and Ewe are one of them.
I am a European correspondent and have been working as a language teacher for 6 years. My subjects are so far English, French and Spanish. Teaching Éwé is one of the greatest honors for me personally that will ever drive me again. Passing on my language is something special. I am very proud of
this chance. Language is not just words. It's culture, identity, reflection of oneself and one
immeasurable legacy.
I look forward to every single one I am allowed to accompany on this path, this journey.
Hallo,
My Name is Hadiza Abdulƙadir Umar.
I was born and raised in Kano State, Nigeria. I am from the Hausa-Fulani ethnic group. I live with my husband in Germany. He teaches Hausa language, culture and media at the University of Cologne.
Hausa is one of the most important languages in West Africa and beyond. It is also one of the most widely used languages globally. Some interesting albeit peculiar parts of the language include hooked and paired letters, tones, and dialectical differences.
I am honored to be part of this school. I feel proud to help in spreading this vital language, the culture of its speakers and more to the world.
Hallo,
My Name is Fabrice-Mbo Kingata.
I will be teaching Kikóngo this winter semester and I'm very proud to be able to teach people a part of my culture and my first language.
Every language connects - so does Kikongo!
I wish that this special language that I love to speak will continue to live and maintain its charismatic effect and power.
I myself am a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo and have lived in Germany for over twenty years. The language (Kikóngo) we will learn together will be slightly different from the spoken language in Angola or the neighbouring Republic of Congo for some terms. Nevertheless, the tool can be used and deepened in these countries as well.