The Dynamics of Bilingual Adult Literacy in Africa: a Case Study of Kom, Cameroon
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The Dynamics of Bilingual Adult Literacy in Africa: A Case Study of Kom, Cameroon Jean Seraphin Kamdem THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 2010 ProQuest Number: 11015877 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 11015877 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 DECLARATION OF OWNERSHIP I, the undersigned, hereby declare that the work presented in this thesis is my own work and has not been written for me in whole or part by any other person. Signed: J. S. Kamdem 2 | SOA Q lARY ABSTRACT This thesis investigates, describes and analyses adult literacy in local languages in Africa, with a focus on Kom, a rural community situated in the North West province of Cameroon. The thesis presents the motivations, relevance, importance and aims of the research; then gives an overview of the national and local backgrounds, namely Cameroon and Kom. A detailed description is given of the multilingual landscape and language use in formal education, the development of writing systems for Cameroonian languages, the official literacy activities at the national level, and the Kom language and community. The thesis discusses the philosophical and conceptual frameworks of the research, namely the naturalistic and critical approaches adopted, and the ethnographic approach used in data collection and the theoretical analysis. It also describes key literacy institutions in Cameroon, such as NACALCO and SIL. Four primary domains are investigated as they pertain to adult literacy: organisational issues, i.e. literacy implementation, didactic materials, literacy teaching, and social meanings and values mediated by literacy. The thesis explores the organisation and implementation of literacy in Kom, examining KLDC’s operational life and activities, and the literacy classes and monitors. Local publications, such as pre-primers, primers, post-primers, arithmetic manuals, reading and writing books, various Christian publications, and some functional booklets on agriculture and health are discussed, examining their place and use in the Kom literacy programme. The thesis also examines the socio-cultural meanings and values of literacy in Kom. The research shows that adult literacy mediates some community identities and values, through local agency and the institutional development of the KLDC. Adult literacy in Kom also mediates new social statuses, and grants new socio-cultural power to neo-literates. For Christian neo-literate church goers, adult literacy mediates spiritual development. Through the written use and promotion of the local language, adult literacy also increases the symbolic capital attached to local languages. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I owe special thanks to my supervisor, Dr Chege Githiora. When an established academic trusts a research student with his confidence, this creates the best foundation for fruitful interaction for doctoral research. Dr Githiora trusted me right from the beginning to be able to complete my PhD. At the same time, as a learned scholar, he was firm regarding the research planning and the writing up of the thesis. At some of my difficult moments, I felt overwhelmed by the work, but when we met, he would reassure me that I could do it. Throughout the writing up of this thesis, he was a ‘senior brother’ in the sense of being available and supportive. He was a patient mentor and my learned guide. Though he always insisted on my capacities to do my PhD successfully, I owe him for having guided me through to the completion of this thesis. My gratitude to the Felix Trust is immense because they provided me with the fellowship for my doctoral research at SO AS. Professor Phillip Jaggar’s support has been crucial for me during my studies at SOAS. Many true academics are marked by their scholarly erudition, but few are also marked by a sense of humanity and a capacity to understand research students in their existential struggles. Professor Jaggar is a great scholar and an expert Africanist. Yet he belongs to that small group of academics capable of sincere support and a deep understanding of the daily hurdles most students face. He is for me a model to look up to, and also a model other academics should look up to. My thanks also go to Dr Lutz Marten, for being a supportive friend always, for being the longest serving member of my supervisory committee, for always having time to listen and give the right advice, and for giving me the chance for a professional development as a graduate teaching assistant at SOAS and NYU-London. Many other academics and administrative staff at SOAS have helped significantly during my studies at SOAS through their dedication to their jobs and their commitment to lend a helping hand as necessary: Dr Monik Charette, for her impartial support, for pointing me in the right direction at a crucial moment, and for pushing me to keep on fighting to finish my PhD; also Zara Pybus, Jean Tullet, Pam Radford and Marcus Cemy for their support at various phases of my doctoral studies at SOAS. 4 So many friends on the way were supportive that I can’t mention all the names here, but prominent names on the long list of friends supportive at various stages of this research are: Francis Ngwa Niba, Ayako Aihara, Narcisse Kamga, Alex Momoh, Gabriel Klaeger, Mark Krzanowski, Ursula Troche, Dr Projit Mukharji, Adam Pead, Dr Serge Sagna, Thelma Sutton, Dr Lem Lilian Atanga, Mike Kamara, and Tim Cleary. Special thanks go to my London family: Leo Kamuli, for his constant friendship and support, and also Auntie Rita Kamuli and Raphael Kamuli. Before I left Cameroon to come to London for this PhD, many academics at the University of Yaounde trained, guided and supported me for years, and my thanks go to them: Professors Etienne Sadembouo, Paul Mbangwana, Pius Tamanji, Engelbert Domche-Teko, and Kengne Fodouop. I’m indebted to the Kom community for their hospitality during my fieldwork in 2006. My heartfelt thanks go to all those who spared some of their precious time to talk with me, answer my questions and discuss with me all the issues relating to community life and literacy in Kom. My special gratitude goes to the KLDC Chairman, Honourable Ndim Albert Waingeh, for granting me authorisation to conduct my research on the KLDC literacy programme; the Literacy Coordinator, Patrick Nges, for helping during the early stages of my fieldwork in Kom; Charles Nkuna, for his support and friendship; Francis Ngongbi, for his availability and assistance throughout the fieldwork; and the other KLDC literacy area supervisors: Augustine Timnge, Charles Nkimbi, Francis Yong and Marcellus Ndah. My thanks also go to all the literacy monitors and the adult learners in the various literacy centres I visited. They allowed me to sit with them and to learn from them, and they shared with me their activities and their experiences. I’m especially grateful to Carolyn Hart, for her presence in my life and all her support, and for reading through the draft chapters of this thesis. This thesis is dedicated to my mum Jeannette Malele, an ordinary woman who was also a heroine, gone too early, yet she will always be there. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration of ownership ................................ 2 Abstract .............................................................................................................................................. 3 Acknowledgements ...........................................................................................................................4 Table of Contents ..................................................... 6 Abbreviations and acronyms ....................................................................................................... 13 List of tables ..................................................................................................................................... 15 List of Figures ..................................................................................................................................15 Chapter 1: Motivations, Relevance, Importance and Aims ............................ 17 1.1. Introduction ..............................................................................................................................17 1.1.1. From ‘patois interdit’ to bilingual letters ........................................................................18 1.1.2. From ‘bilingual letters’ to the study of African languages and adult literacy 22 1.2. Motivations ............................................................................................................................... 27 1.3. Relevance and aim s ................................................................................................................30 1.4. Importance ............................................................................................................................... 33 1.5. Structure of the thesis .............................................................................................................38