Yewande O. Addie, Ph.D. 2022, was one of two University of Florida students chosen for the Fulbright-Hays Intensive Advanced Yoruba Group Project Abroad program hosted at the University of Ibadan’s Yoruba Language Centre in southwest Nigeria.

The summer immersion program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education through Fulbright-Hays Fellowships, offers American college/university students an opportunity to learn Yoruba among the native speakers in Nigeria.

Addie is of Yoruba descent and was introduced to the language while in the UF African Flagship Languages Initiative (AFLI) Program.

“With support from UF’s Center for African Studies and a Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship, I was able to participate in a 2018 summer intensive at UF,” Addie said. “It was also a real joy to learn Yoruba alongside other students from around the country that were learning and sharing other African languages like Zulu and Swahili.”

While in Nigeria, Addie was able to hone her previous classroom time through one-on-one time with language partners, guest lectures, weekend excursions throughout Yorubaland, and while living with host families. Addie was also featured in an interview by BBC Yoruba about her experience.

“It was a real full circle moment for me because my dissertation research was inspired by a BBC documentary found during my time in the AFLI program,” Addie said. “I feel so fortunate because I was just analyzing my research findings in Lagos through another Fulbright program this time last year and I am back in Nigeria as a proud UF graduate, being interviewed by the same organization that encouraged my research interests in culture and health communication.”

Posted: August 24, 2022
Category: Alumni News, College News
Tagged as: Yewande O. Addie