By Fred Iwenjora
Prof Uche Vasser is founder, Director of Centre for Spanish Language Advancement in Nigeria, SLANG Global.
SLANG is based in Enugu offering education, inter cultural exchange including in literary matters, music and films to enthusiasts of the Spanish language and culture.
According to Vasser, SLANG was set up in 2019 and publicly opened 2022 to improve relations between Africa and its kith and kin in the Carribeans most of whom were dispersed by slavery.
In a recent encounter, she tells FRED IWENJORA why she left the rosy comfort of the United States to set up SLANG in Enugu so Nigerians can learn Spanish culture.
She also shares the many ups and opportunities (not downs) so far in this huge task.
She also hints that Nigerians should learn to speak Spanish because it would be of huge benefits as a tool of connecting Africa/Nigeria and the Afro-Latin Diaspora of the Americas.
“I am a full professor of Spanish and Afro-Hispanic Studies at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, USA. My area of expertise looks at the Transatlantic slave trade and the forcible transportation of millions of Africans to the Americas. Today, the descendants of those Africans constitute the Afro-American diaspora. So I can say I am working in my field of study first of all. (Laughter)
Now tell me a bit more about your training and education. Do you mean it influenced your course of study?
I schooled both in Nigeria, the UK, Spain and US.
For secondary School, I attended Queen Margaret’s School, Escrick Park, York, England.
For my undergraduate education (BA), I was at Schiller International University, Madrid, Spain.
I went off to Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio for graduate education (MA) and to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for a PhD.
Let’s talk about SLANG Global…
The Association for Spanish Language Advancement in Nigeria (Slang Global) was conceived as a vehicle and platform to introduce the awareness of the African diaspora of the Americas to Nigeria with specific focus on the Spanish-speaking populations of the Caribbean, Latin America, and the USA. From Cuba to The Dominican Republic to Panama to Nicaragua and Mexico, populations of African descended peoples contribute significantly to the fabric of their nations.
Together with a group of Afro-Hispanists from Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico and the USA, the not-for-profit organization, Slang Global was founded in 2019. The headquarters located at 23 Ogidi Street Ogui, Enugu was officially opened to the public in October 2022.
In its current configuration, Slang Global comprises a multipurpose cultural center, an institute dedicated to the study of Spanish and the cultures of the Spanish-speaking African diaspora of the Caribbean, Latin America, and the USA, a women’s empowerment project center that promotes the exchange of knowledge between Nigerian/African, and Afro-Latin women, a culture shop to showcase intersectional arts and crafts of Nigeria and the Spanish-speaking African diaspora, and a coffee shop.
Sounds so interesting… now how has it been since you set up SLANG Global? And why setting up in Enugu?
Bringing a Spanish centre to Enugu is an important service because over 500 million people worldwide speak Spanish today and People of South Eastern Nigeria should also key into it.
Again bringing that service to Enugu is part of my talent as a full professor.
Furthermore, SLANG Global’s location in Enugu provides access to national archives, museum, and many tertiary institutions with resources on the southeastern region of modern-day Nigeria during the era of slavery.
The operations at Slang Global is to promote the learning, advancement and knowledge of Spanish language and culture in Nigeria in general sense.
It is also to develop affiliations and partnerships with tertiary institutions in Nigeria to identify and educate future students of Spanish language and cultures.
One of the objectives is to train students in higher education to become Spanish language proficient and even become instructors serving key regions of Nigeria. Aside these, SLANG has been able to establish intellectual partnerships between the Spanish-speaking world and Nigeria and promote student and faculty exchanges.
Even the Igbo language is taught at SLANG in the Igbo Cultural Class. This class is a four-week session taught by one of the preeminent scholars of Igbo culture in Nigeria to facilitate the reconnection of diaspora people with the language of their forebears.
Other programmes at SLANG include women’s empowerment program, the feed the children program and adopt a school which focuses on the primary schools in the community. In addition to providing school supplies to the schools, Slang Global organizes a “field trip” for children to the centre.
Since you left Nigeria quite early…. What shocks did you face at your return to motherland?
I have travelled extensively particularly in the Spanish-speaking world. And so, even though I left Nigeria in my teens, I have learned that one’s adaptability in any location is based on attitudes. Like every country I have visited/lived in, Nigeria has its charms and challenges. You celebrate the charms and assess the challenges, and adapt.
How do you cope with funding for the centre since it is not for profit? You must be getting support from the Spanish government…?
I have support primarily from the Spanish Embassy and the Colombian Consulate. The Mexican Embassy has shown some support regarding scholarships for Nigerian students. However, the support is principally a recognition of the good work we are doing in Enugu/Nigeria and not monetary.
Plenty challenges no doubt?
At Slang Global, there is no such thing as challenges, we just see opportunities.
Culled: Vanguard
