An international conference on Hausa studies was organized by Bayero University Kano (BUK) in honor of a Polish scholar Nina Pawlak who spent 5 decades not only researching but also teaching Hausa and other African languages.
According to a report by KANO FOCUS, Ms. Pawlak, a professor of Linguistics at the University of Warsaw Poland has supervised PhD thesis of other BUK scholars like Hafizu Miko Yakasai and Isah Yusuf Chamo and also served as the external examiner for Yakubu Magaji Azare as well as other Bayero University Kano professors.
The two-day conference which opens on Tuesday is hosted by the Centre for Research in Nigerian Languages, Translation & Folklore, BUK in collaboration with the departments of Nigerian Languages and Linguistics & Foreign Languages.
Vice-chancellor of BUK, Muhammad Yahuza Bello described the European scholar as a prolific scholar who dedicated her life to both studying and teaching the Hausa language. The vice-chancellor, who is also a professor of Mathematics, expressed the university’s gratitude to Ms. Pawlak for her prolong academic contributions to BUK and the community as a whole.
“I am honored and excited to deliver to you, the gratitude of this university for your unending support; for our many scholars you have trained, supervised, assessed and supported; for the collaborations you have nurtured and sustained; the books and publications we have exchanged as well as hosting and visits”.
Nina Pawlak
“I also extend to you the gratitude of our students and scholars for the knowledge you produced; and the gratitude of our entire society for the work you have done to keep our language and heritage on top of the chart – alive, well and evolving.” He said.
Reacting to the statement read by Mr. Bello, Ms. Pawlak divulged her motive for devoting her entire academic career to the study of Hausa language which she perceives as a means of promoting and understanding cultural differences between African and European nations.
“After my retirement next year, I intend to write a Hausa – Polish dictionary for learners of the Hausa Language in Poland, my country.” She added.
Credit: Kanofocus.com
