Verba Africana
The project "Verba Africana: E-learning of African Oral languages and Literatures: DVD’s and Internet materials" aims at laying the basis for future cooperation at MA level between the African language departments at the University of Leiden and at the Universtity of Naples. To this end, during the project digital materials (on DVD and web based) in the field of African oral languages and literatures will be produced and implemented as e-learning component in MA courses at the University of Leiden and at the University of Naples.
The DVD’s will preserve the documentation of the recorded oral performance (video and subtitles) and will be used by teachers to present the performances. The e-learning is implemented by Internet materials that offer video shots (derived from the DVD’s) and accompanying didactic and research material. DVD’s and Internet materials will allow the students to approach oral languages and oral literary productions as ‘total event’, including the written transcriptions as well as the oral performance. The students will be guided in understanding these different but correlated aspects.
The video fragments will offer students the opportunity to approach the communicative and visual aspects of African oral genres. The didactic materials will supply teachers and students with specific information on essential aspects of the oral language and literature under study, at the same time it will give the possibility of focusing on single aspects and their in-depth analysis.
Project output
The project will offer DVD’s and Internet materials on oral performances in two African Languages: Ewe (Ghana) and Swahili (Tanzania). This can be seen as the first stage of a long-term project aiming at producing a series of DVD’s for the documentation of oral languages and literatures from different African countries and a series of Internet materials for the e-learning of African oral languages and literatures.
Project partners
The project takes place at the Department of Languages and Cultures of Africa of the University of Leiden in cooperation with the Department of Studies and Researches on Africa and Arab Countries, at the University of Naples (“L’Orientale”).