Interdisciplinary Journal of Language, Literature and Media Studies
JOURNAL AIME AND SCOPE (Ethical considerations, scope dynamics) The Journal aims to provide a highly readable and valuable addition to the literature which will serve as an indispensable reference tool for years to come. It has an interdisciplinary scope focusing on the issues relevant in our contemporary world. It provides a platform for scholars and researchers from diverse academic disciplines to share their works, exchange ideas and explore the interconnectedness between different fields of study. The scope of this journal is intentionally broad, encompassing a wide range of subject areas that may include, but not limited to, the humanities, social sciences, and applied sciences. This journal has the following specific objectives: Facilitating Interdisciplinary Collaboration: It provides a dedicated outlet for researcher to cross-pollinate knowledge and engage in interdisciplinary dialogues. Promoting Methodological Pluralism: It encourages the use of diverse research methods, from qualitative to quantitative, from empirical to theoretical, to capture the multifaceted nature of the topics under investigation Explore Emerging Interdisciplinary Domains: It identifies and highlights new and evolving interdisciplinary fields of study that hold the potential to generate innovative solutions to complex societal, environmental and technological challenges Fostering Intellectual Diversity: it embraces a wide range of perspectives, ideological framework, and cultural backgrounds to enrich the intellectual discourse that challenges dominant paradigms Indiginisation of knowledge: It recognizes the worth of indigenous knowledge and provides a platform for scholars to indigenise knowledge by highlighting new knowledge systems from the global South.
Department of English, Faculty of Arts- The University of Bamenda
Editorial page & table of contents- Vol, 3. No, 1. June 2026
Interdisciplinary Journal of Language, Literature and Media Studies, IJoLLiMS Volume 3, Number 1, 2026
Copyright (c) 2026 Editor-in-chief (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Postcolonial Ecologies and Global North/South Dynamics in Mei Mei Evans’ Oil and Water and Helon Habila’s Oil on Water
This study offers a comparative analysis of Helon Habila’s Oil on Water and Mei Mei Evans’ Oil and Water. It examines their representation of global North-South dynamics in the context of oil extraction in the ecologically and culturally distinct regions of Alaska’s Prince William Sound and Nigeria’s Niger Delta. These novels expose the catastrophic impacts of neo-colonial resource exploitation on marginalised communities and their environments. Through a postcolonial ecocritical lens, complemented by ecofeminism and petroculture studies, this article examines how these texts critique the power imbalances perpetuated by multinational corporations and complicit governments. By analysing narrative structures, thematic concerns, and representations of ecological trauma, the article argues that both novels function as acts of literary militancy challenging hegemonic narratives of extractive capitalism while amplifying indigenous and subaltern voices. Using extensive textual analysis, the article highlights how these novels contribute to environmental justice discourses in postcolonial contexts. Drawing on Rob Nixon’s concept of “slow violence,” the article shows how both texts reveal the gradual, often unnoticeable, environmental harm that disproportionately affects marginalised communities. Through evocative imagery the novels position ecosystems as subaltern entities silenced by global capitalism. The study compares and contrasts Habila’s thriller-like narrative with Evans’ character-driven approach, and demonstrates how both texts engage in literary militancy to challenge neo-colonial power structures. By bridging environmental humanities and postcolonial studies, the article underscores the contributions of these novels to the understanding of the intersections of ecology, gender, and neo-colonialism.
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Francis Tiambei, Dr. Ngome Jemia Maureen (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Rehabilitation in African American Fiction: A Study of Langston Hughes’ Something in Common and Other Stories
This paper explores the concept of sociocultural, moral, and religious rehabilitation in Langston Hughes’ Something in Common and Other Stories. It traces the evolution of rehabilitation in African American literature from the first reconstruction era (1865-1920) to the third reconstruction period (21st century). After slavery in the United States, the country moved to reconstruction, where Blacks were regarded as “the new Negro.” The old Negro was a slave, but the new Negro had to undergo rehabilitation. Thus, formerly enslaved Black people were integrated into the society as free citizens. Many schools were established for Black children and adults. Most Blacks could vote and take part in political positions. Throughout American history, Black Americans have undergone various forms of rehabilitation connected to self-recovery, self-representation, self-healing, and the ongoing pursuit of identity. In twenty first-century America, many African Americans are labelled as criminals due to political factors that have led to a disproportionate number of Blacks being incarcerated. They are frequently regarded as criminals in a nation where the criminal justice system and practices have often targeted Black communities more harshly than other communities. This paper poses a critical question: How do African American writers contribute to reducing crime within their societies? By employing African American literary theory as a critical framework, it is hypothesised that cultural didacticism through rehabilitation can empower African Americans to desist from criminal behaviour. The findings indicate that correctional rehabilitation, as an alternative to imprisonment, reduces crime among Black individuals. Characters in the selected stories inculcate social and moral values such as self-worth, self-respect, self-sufficiency, sound decision-making, and integrity. Moreover, some of the characters challenge issues that perpetrate division based on race, ethnicity, and nationality, and engage in narrative and musical therapy.
rehabilitation, reconstruction, criminology, cultural didactics
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr Joseph Ngong Sam (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Media Language and Peace Building in Cameroon: An Analysis of Newspaper Headlines on the Anglophone Crisis from 2017-2023
This paper explores media language’s role in conflict and peace-building by analysing 360 newspaper headlines on Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis (2017 to 2023). Applying Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), Fairclough’s three-dimensional Model, and Entman’s Framing Theory, the research investigates how linguistic choices perpetuate conflict or promote peace. By examining Systemic Functional Linguistic (SFL) categories like agency and process, the paper identifies how media outlets: The Post, The Guardian Post and Cameroon Tribune frame actors to align with state-centric or separatists’ narratives. Quantitative and qualitative analysis reveals divergent reporting patterns: The Post and The Guardian Post shifted from escalatory ‘atrocity lexis’ (2017–2019), toward dialogue-based, diplomatic framing in subsequent phases. In contrast, the state-owned Cameroon Tribune maintained a consistent ‘peace efforts’ framework to assert state legitimacy and institutional normalisation. These findings suggest that media discourse acts as a powerful instrument of social construction, where linguistic choices do not merely report conflict but actively shape the public’s perception of its resolution. While private media adapted its framing as the conflict matured, state media utilised a static peace narrative to consolidate authority and marginalise underlying grievances. This study, therefore, advocates for SFL-based journalistic training and a more decentralised approach to peace narratives.
Anglophone Crisis, Critical Discourse Analysis, Newspaper Headlines, Media Language, Peace Building
Copyright (c) 2026 Mbain Fanny Nangeh, Prof. Esther Phubon Chie, Prof. Victor Ngu Cheo (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The Drama of Ideas in Crisis: Political Theatre from Ibsen to Tom Stoppard
This article traces the lineage of the “drama of ideas” from Henrik Ibsen to Tom Stoppard, arguing that political theatre, as practised by these playwrights, constitutes an epistemological practice—a mode of dramatic enquiry that uses the stage to test, validate, and contest the conditions under which political knowledge becomes thinkable, sayable, and actionable. The study argues that both playwrights deploy the stage as a philosophical forum in which the tensions between individual conscience and collective authority, intellectual freedom and political conformity, and historical memory and institutional forgetting are dramatised with uncommon rigour. Whereas ideological critique sets out to unmask the hidden interests that underwrite a given political order, and discourse foregrounds the staging of debate so as to provoke rational deliberation, the article focuses on how political truths are constructed, authorised, circulated, and weaponised within the institutions of liberal modernity. Through close textual analysis and sustained engagement with secondary scholarship, the study demonstrates that Ibsen’s realist excavation of bourgeois hypocrisy and Stoppard's metatheatrical interrogation of ideological systems constitute complementary responses to the recurring crisis of liberalism. The article further contends that the formal innovations of both playwrights — Ibsen's retrospective analytical method and Stoppard's layered intertextuality — are inseparable from their political commitments. By reading these two bodies of work in dialogue, the study contributes to an understanding of political theatre not as didactic polemic but as a sophisticated epistemological practice that stages the very conditions under which ideas acquire or lose their authority.
political theatre, drama of ideas, Henrik Ibsen, Tom Stoppard, liberalism, metatheatre, comparative theatre, public sphere
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Didachos Mbeng Afuh (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
A Critique of Biblical Creation Teaching and its Impact on the Scientific Literacy of Christian Religious Studies’ Students in Nigerian Secondary Schools
The biblical creation story is a theme in Christian beliefs as well as in the Christian Religious Studies curriculum for public and private schools in Nigeria. Science education, in its own right, is purposed to promote scientific reasoning in the form of testable hypotheses and evidence-based descriptions. This study offers a critique of the biblical creation teaching as contained in the Christian Religious Studies (CRS) curriculum in Nigeria with the goal of ascertaining its potential impact on scientific literacy of CRS students in Nigerian secondary schools. The study adopts conceptual and content analysis to conceptualise religion-science dialogue, scientific literacy, biblical creation account in Genesis, scientific descriptions of the origin of the universe, and to ascertain the potential impact of the biblical creation teaching as contained in the CRS curriculum on the level of scientific literacy of CRS students in Nigerian secondary schools. Findings reveal adherence to the curriculum objectives of Christian Religious Studies with its emphasis on faith formation, moral values, and biblical literacy. It was also established that the biblical creation teaching is done in exclusion of scientific descriptions and other Nigerian cultural perspectives on the origin of the universe. This evinces a literal and exclusive approach to teaching creation or origin in which attempts are not made to differentiate religious teachings and explanations from scientific descriptions. It was argued that this could influence the level of scientific literacy and critical reasoning capability of Nigerian CRS students adversely. The study concluded that integration and collaboration of Christian Religious Studies and scientific descriptions, among other perspectives on origin, is necessary. The study also recommended curriculum review and adoption of interdisciplinary approach in teaching the origin of the universe which would extend beyond memorisation of biblical texts to interpretative, cultural and reflective. engagement.
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Kayode J. Olusanya, Dr. Olusegun O. Oyebanjo, Jacob B. Micheal (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Delegitimization of Historical Narratives: A Lyotardian Reading of Bate Besong’s Poetry
The representation of human experience in time and space makes for the most formidable hegemonic purveyor of discourses of domination and exploitation especially within historical narratives. Accordingly, there exists a perdurable need for the scrutiny of any such historical representations that seek to uphold a particular status quo. Based on the premise that the homogenising predisposition of some historical narratives is to hush the voices of minorities, and or those at the margin of the post-independent state in order to sustain their subjugation and exploitation, this paper seeks to explore some of Bate Besong’s poems as representational contestations of some key episodes in Cameroonian history that appear to foment and sustain suffering for the poet and his compatriots. By considering Jean François Lyotard’s postulations on grand narratives and petit récits, the study uses a text cum co-context dialectic to examine how the poet under consideration historicizes his poems in order to provide contestatory and or disruptive understandings of some key historical episodes in Cameroon. Proceeding as such, the paper argues that Besong’s historical activism is grounded in the fact that the history of Cameroon is not epistemically static because his comprehension of such a history is contingent on, and is mediated by his personal experiences as well as those of his countrymen within the framework of the post-independent Cameroonian state. In terms of theoretical tools, Newhistoricism and some tenets of postcolonial theory will be employed to buttress our argument.
History, Delegitimization, Petit récits, Bate Besong, Cameroon.
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Ngome Jemia Maureen , Dr. Bame Jude Thaddeus Tomnyu, Prof. Adamu Pangmeshi (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Neuro-Glottometry: Mapping the Neural Correlates of Code-Switching Fluency as a Function of Socioeconomic Network Density
This study introduces an interdisciplinary measurement framework called neuro-glottometry to investigate how the neural efficiency of code-switching is associated with the socioeconomic structure of a speaker's personal social network. Sociolinguistic research has extensively documented the social motivations of code-switching (Myers Scotton, 1993; Auer, 1998), and neurolinguistics has begun to measure its cognitive cost (Abutalebi & Green, 2008). However, the two fields have yet to integrate neural data with fine grained sociometric analysis. We bridge this gap by correlating functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy data, which indexes cognitive load in the prefrontal cortex, with detailed ego network surveys and naturalistic language samples from 48 proficient French English bilinguals in Cameroon. Our results show that individuals who occupy brokerage positions in sparse and socioeconomically diverse networks exhibit lower cognitive load during code-switching tasks across different contexts. In contrast, individuals embedded in dense and homogeneous networks show higher neural efficiency only in familiar, in-group switching contexts. They show marked increases in cognitive load during out group or novel pragmatic switches. These findings support the theory that code‑switching fluency is not merely a linguistic or pragmatic skill but a neurocognitive adaptation associated with the demands of one's social ecosystem (Green & Abutalebi, 2013). This research offers a preliminary empirical approach for the biocultural study of multilingualism in conflict affected settings.
code-switching, cognitive load, social networks, bilingualism, Cameroon, prefrontal cortex, neuro-glottometry, language conflict
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Eric Dzeayele Maiwong (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Indigenous Perspectives and Ecological Knowledge in the Conservation of the Ecosystem: Exploring Shadrach Ambanasom’s Forest of the Gods
This study looks into the cultural and ecological importance of sacred groves and shrines among the Dudum people of the Grassfields as reflected in Shadrach Ambanasom’s Forest of the Gods. It shows that these holy places are not only centres for spiritual rituals but also natural spaces that preserve indigenous ecological wisdom and keep the people connected to their environment. Through a close reading of Forest of the Gods, this research exposes how Ambanasom uses images, myths, and storytelling to warn the people about the dangers of neglecting their natural heritage. The study also relates that what the Dudum people are doing in preserving nature aligns with the modern Sustainable Development Goals, such as good health, sustainable communities, climate action, and biodiversity conservation. It further points out that while many studies have written generally about African traditional conservation systems, very few have examined how Ambanasom’s ecological messages in Forest of the Gods connect with the wider call for sustainable development. This study fills that gap, as it uses the concepts of Ecocriticism and New Historicism to blend textual analysis with cultural understanding and show how the Gassfields’ traditions can inform the contemporary protection efforts of the environment. The research concludes that although the Dudum people once lived in harmony with nature, the pressures of modern life have pushed them away from these values, causing damage to their spiritual connections with nature. The study therefore calls for a return to the respect and balance that once existed between humans and nature.
Indigenous Knowledge, Sacred Groves, Ecocriticism, New Historicism
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Chemnchu M. A (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Fragments of Freedom: Tracing Democratic Tensions in Some Selected Novels by Arundhati Roy, Russel Soaba and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The implementation of democratic principles, especially in the former colonies, has come with challenges and writers have often projected such realities in their literary texts. This work analyses the manner in which Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, Russel Soaba’s Maiba: A Papuan Novel and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun represent the practice of democracy. The study is guided by the following research question: How do Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, Russel Soaba’s Maiba: A Papuan Novel, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun depict the practice of democracy? It is hypothesized that the three novels portray democracy as an aspirational system of government that faces serious challenges. Using the Democratic Theory, it seeks to unveil the manner in which democracy is practiced in the texts and the difficulties evident in the process. This two-part paper demonstrates that, although both the populace and - albeit partially - the leadership express a desire to establish democracy in former colonies, as reflected in political dialogue and consultation, the democratic process remains deeply hindered by neo-colonial pressures and ineffective or corrupt governance. Recognizing that there is no universal concept of democracy that should fit all nations, the article concludes that each part of the former Empire should adapt its unique version of democracy that ties with its context and values.
Democracy, Global South, Practice, Challenges, Consequences, Democratic Theory, Empire
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Danlami A. (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVE AND ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE IN THE CONSERVATION OF THE ECOSYSTEM: EXPLORING SHADRACH AMBANASOM’S FOREST OF THE GODS
<a title="Indigenous Perspective and Ecological Knowledge in the Conservation of the Ecosystem: Exploring Shadrach Ambanasom's Forest of the. Gods" href="https://ijollims-uba.com/index.php/cm/Abstract This study examines the significance of groves and sanctuaries within the Dudum society of the Grassfields, as illustrated in Shadrach Ambanasom’s Forest of the Gods. It looks at how these holy places are depicted and stresses Ambanasom’s plea for their preservation. Though are reserved for cultural rituals and revert cultural practices, present-day tendencies of excessive and geocentricism endanger their conservation. The paper points out the Forest of the Gods’s connection to various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their benefits to the Dudum community and the Grassfield society at large. These SDGs are healthy lives for communities (SDG 3), sustainable human settlements (SDG 11), climate change mitigation (SDG 13), biodiversity conservation (SDG 15), and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG 16). Methodologically, the researcher reads and textual analyses the Forest of the Gods to identify themes and symbols related to sacred groves and sanctuaries. Also, the researcher uses articles, cultural studies, and a brief historical accounts of the Grassfields and Dudum people at length to contextualise and enhance the analyses. Ecocriticism serves as a key conceptual framework. It is one of the enabling theory for an examination of the relationship between the Dudum people and their natural environment. It highlights ecological myths and the cultural imperative of protecting these sacred spaces. Moreover, New Historicism offers insights into the historical and cultural contexts of the selected poem to reveal the deeper message of environmental protected as highlighted by the poet. The study concludes that while the protection of sacred trees and groves is an innate cultural practice among the Dudum people, contemporary challenges such as greed and selfishness undermine these efforts. This leads to environmental degradation and the potential wrath of the gods as forewarned in Ambanasom’s literary work. Thus, the research underscores the unbreakable link between humanity and the earth, and emphasises the need for renewed commitment to environmental protection in the face of modern pressures.">Abstract This study examines the significance of groves and sanctuaries within the Dudum society of the Grassfields, as illustrated in Shadrach Ambanasom’s Forest of the Gods. It looks at how these holy places are depicted and stresses Ambanasom’s plea for their preservation. Though are reserved for cultural rituals and revert cultural practices, present-day tendencies of excessive and geocentricism endanger their conservation. The paper points out the Forest of the Gods’s connection to various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their benefits to the Dudum community and the Grassfield society at large. These SDGs are healthy lives for communities (SDG 3), sustainable human settlements (SDG 11), climate change mitigation (SDG 13), biodiversity conservation (SDG 15), and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG 16). Methodologically, the researcher reads and textual analyses the Forest of the Gods to identify themes and symbols related to sacred groves and sanctuaries. Also, the researcher uses articles, cultural studies, and a brief historical accounts of the Grassfields and Dudum people at length to contextualise and enhance the analyses. Ecocriticism serves as a key conceptual framework. It is one of the enabling theory for an examination of the relationship between the Dudum people and their natural environment. It highlights ecological myths and the cultural imperative of protecting these sacred spaces. Moreover, New Historicism offers insights into the historical and cultural contexts of the selected poem to reveal the deeper message of environmental protected as highlighted by the poet. The study concludes that while the protection of sacred trees and groves is an innate cultural practice among the Dudum people, contemporary challenges such as greed and selfishness undermine these efforts. This leads to environmental degradation and the potential wrath of the gods as forewarned in Ambanasom’s literary work. Thus, the research underscores the unbreakable link between humanity and the earth, and emphasises the need for renewed commitment to environmental protection in the face of modern pressures.
Copyright (c) 2026 Musa Aruna Chemnchu (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Language Barriers and Health Communication in Rural Cameroon: The Case of Babessi
In Babessi (Ngoh-Ketunjia, Ndop Plain, Cameroon), healthcare messages are predominantly delivered in French and English, with Pidgin English used only occasionally to interpret them for local populations. Field observations and semi-structured interviews with local households reveal that this linguistic mismatch reduces comprehension, particularly among elderly villagers, and limits the uptake of essential services. For instance, when sickle-cell test fees were reduced from 6000 FCFA to 3000 FCFA between May and December 2024, announcements using the French term drépanocytose were largely disregarded, with approximately nine out of ten elderly women failing to understand them. When official communication fails, villagers often turn to soothsayers, traditional doctors, or herbalists who communicate in local languages. While these practitioners provide culturally resonant explanations, reliance on them can delay biomedical interventions and exacerbate health risks. The study highlights the critical need for linguistically and culturally inclusive healthcare strategies, including training health personnel in local languages and Pidgin English, giving a broad medical insight to liaison workers, co-creating health messages that resonate with indigenous cultural frameworks, and promoting local-language literacy in health contexts. By addressing language barriers, such strategies can improve comprehension, uptake, and outcomes for malaria, sickle-cell disease, and HIV/AIDS in Cameroon’s multilingual communities. Drawing on sociolinguistic and cultural competence frameworks, the study examines how language choice shapes comprehension and trust in health communication. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how linguistic inclusivity in public health communication enhances service effectiveness and supports health literacy in rural, multilingual populations.
Language, Barriers, Health, Communication and Culture
Copyright (c) 2025 Nzembayie Njebuh Roger, Dr. Tubuo Visi S. (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Postcolonial and Diasporic Intersections: Cultural Identity and Alienation in Chibundu Onuzo’s Welcome to Lagos and Imbolo Mbue’s Behold the Dreamers
This study explores cultural identity and alienation in Chibundu Onuzo’s Welcome to Lagos and Imbolo Mbue’s Behold the Dreamers through a postcolonial and diasporic framework. Set in the postcolonial metropolis of Lagos and the diasporic hub of New York, the novels depict African characters navigating hybrid identities and urban marginalization. Drawing on Frantz Fanon, Homi K. Bhabha, Edward Said, Paul Gilroy, and Stuart Hall, the analysis examines how Onuzo portrays Lagos as a site of cultural conflict and resilience amid Nigeria’s postcolonial challenges, while Mbue critiques the American Dream’s racial and economic barriers. Through comparative literary analysis, including close reading and socio-historical contextualization, the article highlights shared themes of hybridity, exclusion, and community-driven agency, alongside distinct critiques. Onuzo targets Nigeria’s governance failures, while Mbue exposes the inequities of global capitalism. The study argues that both novels redefine African identity in urban contexts, contributing to postcolonial and diaspora studies by bridging local and global narratives. Findings emphasize how Lagos and New York differently shape identity and alienation, yet both affirm resistance through solidarity. This article underscores the significance of these two novels in challenging hegemonic narratives and amplifying African voices globally.
Postcolonial, Diasporic Intersections, Cultural Identity, Alienation
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Francis Tiambei , Jemia Ngome (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Diasporic Experience and Identity (Re)Construction in Fatou Diom’s The Belly of the Atlantic
Abstract The research investigates the diasporic experience and identity construction in Fatou Diom’s novel The Belly of the Atlantic, focusing on the dichotomy between appearance and reality in the lives of individuals living in the diaspora. The study aims to explore the challenges faced by diasporic individuals in reconciling their lived experiences with the perceptions of their identities held by those back in their home countries. The objectives of this research are to analyze how diasporic individuals navigate the difficulties of maintaining their cultural heritage while adapting to new environments, and to examine the effect of societal expectations and stereotypes on their sense of self. The hypothesis posits that there is a significant discrepancy between the outward portrayal of life in the diaspora and the internal struggles faced by individuals, leading to a fragmented sense of identity. Drawing on theories of diaspora studies and postcolonial literature, this research seeks to shed light on the tough process of identity formation within the context of migration and displacement. The study is important as it contributes in understanding the difficulty of diasporic identities and the ways in which individuals negotiate their sense of self within transnational spaces. The findings disclose that people in the diaspora often wrestle with conflicting versions of their identities, as they struggle to unitetheir personal experiences with external expectations. Finally, this research focuses on the complex nature of identity (re) construction in diasporic communities and highlights the need for representations that handle the diverse realities faced by individuals living between cultures.
Diaspora, Identity Construction, illusion, Reality, postcolonial
Copyright (c) 2025 Emerencia Beh Sih (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The Portrayal of Indigenous Beliefs and Religious Conflict in Yoruba: The Case of Tunde Kelani’s Agogo Èèwò
This paper examined the portrayal of indigenous beliefs and religious conflict in Tunde Kelani’s Agogo Èèwò. Guided by cinema theory, which viewed African films as tools for cultural resistance and identity preservation, the paper adopted a qualitative design with content analysis. The film was purposely selected because it directly engaged Yoruba traditional religion and its encounters with Christianity. Key scenes showing rituals, oath-taking, divination, and interfaith clashes were analyzed and grouped thematically. Findings revealed that the film affirmed the role of Yoruba spirituality in kingship, morality, and justice, with Ifá divination and sacred oaths presented as systems of accountability. The indirect presence of deities was portrayed as a moral force, while the enchanted drum symbolized checks on corruption. At the same time, the film highlighted conflicts between Christianity and traditional religion, reflecting wider tensions in Yoruba society. The paper concluded that Agogo Èèwò functioned as a cultural archive and recommended that cinema be used to preserve indigenous heritage, foster dialogue, and strengthen cultural identity in Nigeria.
Agogo Èèwò, Yoruba spirituality, religious conflict
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Wahab A. Ibrahim, Dr Olúwákẹ́mi (Aya) Adéfowópè, Olaniyan Aanuoluwapo Segun (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The Ideological Implication of Negation in Crisis Discourse: The Case of the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis (2016-2021)
Language has many purposes of usage which determine how a speaker or writer chooses words and plays a great role in conflict and crisis resolution.The present study analyses the types of negations used by three state personalities in Cameroon: the former Prime Minister (Philemon Yang), the current Prime Minister (Dion Ngute) and the Head of the National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multilingualism (Peter Mafani Musonge) in their speeches delivered from 2016-2021 and seeks to identify the ideologies behind the use of negations and how the negations contribute in solving the present Cameroon Anglophone crisis. A purposive sampling technique was used to sample fifteen speeches of the three above mentioned personalities. Textual conceptual functions as given by Jeffries (2010) was used as the analytical tool, uncovering ideologies expressed by the different types of negations using the apparatus of negation.The findings revealed that, the three personalities make use of syntactic, lexical, morphological negations and also negative pronouns in their discourse to qualify and condemn the atrocities perpetrated in the present crisis by the fighters. However, it was observed that, negation in some instances was used in a pejorative way to qualify the fighters especially on the side of the Anglophones which somehow contribute to incite and inflame the crisis. Thus, negation was used both to promote peace and to inflame the crisis. It was further recommended that, anyone invited to make a speech on the Cameroon Anglophone crisis should avoid words that may cause people who are already angry to be to hurt and avoiding taking side. In so doing, tension may calm down and a platform for dialogue and reconciliation may be established.
Anglophone crisis, discourse, ideology, critical stylistics, negation
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Kohole C. Peukeu (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
AI-Driven Innovation in ESL Instruction: Exploring the Frontiers of Technology-Enhanced Language Learning in Bamenda
The rapid expansion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in global education has transformed language learning by providing learners with personalized feedback, adaptive instruction, and increased opportunities for autonomous practice. In many developing contexts, however, the integration of AI into classroom instruction remains unexplored. This study investigates the awareness, use, and challenges surrounding AI integration in English as a Second Language (ESL) learning in Bamenda, Cameroon. The study involves 60 Upper Sixth students who possess the cognitive and technological maturity to meaningfully engage with AI tools and 10 English language teachers, purposively selected from secondary schools. Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Constructivist Learning Theory, the study examines how perceptions, ease of use, and learner-centred interaction shape AI adoption in the ESL classroom. Data collected through structured questionnaires and classroom observations was analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Findings reveal high student awareness and engagement, with 92–95% reporting familiarity with AI tools, positive perceptions, and regular use across vocabulary, grammar, speaking, and writing tasks. Teachers demonstrated moderate awareness and adoption (60–90%), indicating a notable gap between student and teacher engagement largely linked to limited training, exposure, and institutional support. Key challenges included unreliable internet, electricity shortages, technical difficulties, inadequate training, and occasional discouragement from teachers. Both students and teachers strongly recommended the introduction of more AI tools and the development of AI applications tailored to context specific needs. The development of specific policies to fully harness AI’s potential will enhance ESL learning outcomes in Bamenda.
AI-driven innovation, ESL instruction, technology-enhanced learning, multilingualism, adaptive learning
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Mbibeh Louis. (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
A Socio-phonological Study of the Language of Mechanical Discourses: The Case of Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon
Although the language policy of Cameroon is in favour of official bilingualism in English and French, its practical application remains somewhat biased. This is reflected in different walks of life, one of which is the field of engineering where trained engineers working in English-speaking regions of Cameroon tend to make more reference to the French terms rather than English appellations of the tools in their field, thereby causing communication problems and lack of coordination both in the field and in office spaces as well as the consumers at large. This paper therefore seeks to do a socio-phonological appraisal of discourses in engineering in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon with the aim of unearthing the specific linguistic challenges that engineers and consumers face. Guided by the question “how do the phonological discourses affect language in the field of Mechanical Engineering?” this paper upholds the Critical Discourse Analysis theory of Van Dijk (1985) and Michel Fairclough (1995). Data for the study are quantitative in nature and were obtained from a total of sixty (60) English speaking engineers and consumers from the southwest and northwest regions of Cameroon. The research targeted 70 participants from both regions (35 from each) but only sixty (60) questionnaires were returned, giving a percentage of 85.71%. The data of this study were collected through the use of Questionnaires, interviews and focus-group discussions. The findings demonstrate that while technical competence remains paramount, communicative accuracy significantly influences professional effectiveness, safety outcomes, and career advancement opportunities. The systematic patterns revealed in pronunciation challenges, and adaptation mechanisms indicate that engineering professionals have developed sophisticated approaches to managing multilingual technical communication. The findings equally suggest that integrated approaches combining technical content with communication skills training could substantially improve professional effectiveness while respecting the multilingual realities of contemporary engineering practice.
Phonological Discourse, Engineering Discourse, Effective Communication
Copyright (c) 2026 Mr. Shu Philip N., Prof. Atoh Julius C. (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
From Jargon to Clarity: Understanding the Language of Law by non-Legal experts
This paper investigates the intricate relationship between law and linguistics, grounded in the premise that lawyers work intimately with the English language. Despite this shared linguistic medium, legal English is often perceived as highly complex and inaccessible to non-specialists. Given that legal language permeates many aspects of human life, especially in situations involving legal processes, this linguistic gap may disadvantage individuals who are not legally trained. The study therefore seeks to examine the extent to which the language of law can contribute to lack of clarity, misunderstanding, disputes, and feelings of alienation among members of the public interacting with the legal system. The analysis draws on Darwin’s theory of legal obfuscation (2009) and Greenberg’s communicative theory. A mixed-methods approach was adopted: a quantitative component involving 150 targeted respondents who completed a ten-item questionnaire, and a qualitative component consisting of interviews with fifteen participants (ten legal practitioners and five non-legal participants). Findings indicate that features of legal English significantly hinder effective communication with the public, thereby reinforcing the need for simplification. The study concludes that adopting plain English within legal communication can help bridge the gap between legal professionals and laypersons, fostering improved understanding. The paper therefore advocates stronger interdisciplinary collaboration between sociolinguists and legal practitioners to support on-going efforts toward simplifying legal language. Such a bridge upholds a more profound cooperation between socio-linguists and legal professions. Interdisciplinary research of this nature can facilitate the task of simplification of the language of law.
Legal Jargon, language clarity; legal communication; legal obfuscation
Copyright (c) 2025 Prof. Atoh J. Chenwi (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The challenges and benefits of Cameroon Pidgin English in education: A postmodernist perspective
Cameroon Pidgin English (CPE) is a mixed language or multi-language variety, deserving of a lingua franca in Cameroon, yet expressively dialectic in the realm of education. Its users desire to connect to, or disconnect from certain dialogues in specific contexts, a routine that challenges the dynamics in language policy and biases that have emerged due to the scepticism about Pidgin in education in multilingual Cameroon. From a postmodernist perspective, the aim of this paper is to identify the challenges and benefits of CPE in education in Cameroon, appraise the implications of postmodernist tendencies toward it, and propose mechanisms that minimise the challenges and maximise its sociolinguistic potential. The generic question focuses on what the challenges, benefits, and implications of postmodernist tendencies toward CPE in education are, and the strategies to regulate them, whereas the main objective is entrenched in the aim. Secondary sources of data are extracted from blogs, students’ translated English into Pidgin English texts, and a collection of on-campus anti-CPE in education slogans. The data is analysed qualitatively at different linguistic levels and discussed on the basis of some postmodernist tendencies such as globalisation, fragmentation, tenets of scepticism, relativism, and an argument against method and evaluation. In conclusion, findings prove that CPE, like other languages, shares language universalities, nonetheless, retains its specificities. CPE is a purpose-specific language that communicates as concisely as possible, without introducing unnecessary ambiguity in its grammar. Its lexicon is inclusive, its morphology is cropped, and significant variation in its phonology. Its discourse gives its users the desired switch within context, in realtime; and like other languages, valid to be studied in academia, especially in a postmodernist digital age.
challenges, benefits, Cameroon Pidgin English, education, postmodernism,
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Fonyuy Ernesta Kelen (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Borders in the Age of Interconnectedness: An intertextual Reading of Nic Stone’s Dear Martin, Dear Justyce and Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give
This paper sets out to engage shared elements that reveal racial borders as an intertext in Dear Martin, Dear Justyce and The Hate U Give. The focus is to trace these textual connections and conversations, highlighting the intertextual dialogue that ironically reveals borders that continue to exist and influence experience in the United States at the age of networks and interconnectivity. The study problematizes that, though the United States is seen as a melting pot of cultures or a "new promised land", there still exists racial borders revealed across the texts, suggesting that the texts are responding to a common, historical, cultural and experiential contexts they are situated in. The paper assesses the different boundaries that still exist in the age of interconnectedness which brings about power struggle, uneasy conversation and discrepancies between the races. The thrust of this paper is to demonstrate that racial borders are still evident in the United States in the age of networks and collaboration, in spite of new trends like the "Black Lives Matter" and the "All Lives Matter". The study makes use of the theoretical backdrop of intertextuality. Stone (2017) will be interpreted in connection with Stone (2020) and Thomas (2017). This theoretical position is fundamental as interpretation becomes flexible when the text, the pre-text and the post-texts connected to it are placed side- by-side. The paper demonstrates how the texts form an ongoing dialogue, with each work building upon, responding to and reimagining the racial narrative in the age of connectivity.
American society, intertextuality, interconnectedness, racial borders, racial narratives, young adult Literature
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Beh Sih Emmerencia, Prof. Fondze-Fombele Fonyuy Eunice (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Monophthongal Peculiarities of Audio-visual Cameroon and NigerianEnglishes Compared: the NURSE, STRUT, TRAP and START Vowels
This paper sets out to comparatively describe the features of four RP monophthongs in Audiovisual Cameroon English (henceforth AVCamE) and Audio-visual Nigerian English (henceforth AVNigE) as produced by characters, preachers and musicians. The paper describes the realisations of the NURSE, STRUT, TRAP and START vowels and correlates them with interlinguistic, extralinguistic and intralinguistic features such as roleplay, L1interference and graphology. Data for the paper constitutes excerpts gleaned from One-hundred and fifty Cameroonian and Nigerian audiovisuals (movies, musicals and sermons); seventy-five from Cameroon and seventy-five from Nigeria. One-hundred and sixty consultants were sampled for this paper, with eighty male and female from Cameroon audiovisuals (henceforth CAs) and eighty from Nigerian audio-visuals (hereafter NAs). The data were collected from 2010 to 2022 and were qualitatively analysed using Comparative Linguistics and Phonostylistics. Findings reveal that despite the many similarities between AVCamE and AVNigE, several differences exist in the realisations of the NURSE, STRUT, TRAP and START vowels.
Audio-visual, Cameroon English, Monophthongal peculiarities, Nigerian English
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Ketcha Tegha Raphael (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Examining Textual Patterns in Cameroonian Book Blurbs
This paper examines Cameroonian book blurbs, with a focus on identifying and analysing the various textual patterns used by Cameroonian book writers in rendering their blurbs. Data for the study are collected from 80 book blurbs written in English and published in Cameroon. The books are randomly selected from four main fields: language, social sciences, hard sciences and fiction. The data are analysed based on the multidimensional perspective of the genre theory, with an inclination on grammatical and textual features of genres. The analyses focus not only on identifying and describing the various textual patterns used in the blurbs, but also on determining their communicative functions in the texts. The findings reveal that Cameroonian blurbers employ description, narration, exposition, characterization and instruction in the various moves of their blurbs in order to realize the different communicative intentions of the moves, which combine to realize not only the conventional academic and promotional communicative purposes of the genre, but also the ‘non-conventional’ private intentions of the blurbers.
Textual patterns, description, narration, characterization, exposition, instruction
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Marcel Jaff Fornkwa (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
New Englishes as Retaliation against Colonial Norms in Selected Postersin Bamenda
A major aspect of colonial rule in Africa was the imposition of an alien culture through the English language which unleashed a deadly blow on the African culture. The main aim of this research is to explore the business linguistic landscape of Bamenda in the Northwest region to discover how advertisers use language differently from the imposed English language. How can New Englishes be a form of retaliation or affirmation of the Africanness? How is this being managed in the business linguistic landscape of Cameroon? What linguistic strategies are employed by business persons to lull their clients and maximize profits? Through purposeful sampling methods, the linguistic landscape of the Bamenda in the Northwest region is exploited with focus on collecting posters used in advertising products or services. The Culture Code Theory of Design, Wen et al. (2022) helped to analyze the posters; examining the strategy aspect, meaning aspect, and the technical aspect. We see the adherence to New Englishes as the start of significant changes by the people in the study area to reintroduce their concepts and thoughts into their daily activities as a major retaliatory action. The results indicate that advertisers use New Englishes in their own creative ways and as retaliation to Standard English and culture dominance.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ms Tenjoh Rita , Prof. Afutendem Nkwetta Lucas (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
From Kashmir Through Biafra to Webaz: Decolonisation and Spatial Negotiation in Salman Rushdie’s Shalimar the Clown, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun and Julius Angwah’s Before Our Eyes
This paper examines why three strips of land whose demand for independence led to bloody conflicts, ethnic cleansing and unprecedented displacements. It focuses on Kashmir’s attempted secession from India and Pakistan, Biafra from Nigeria and Webaz (which is a metaphor for British Southern Cameroons) asked to return to her initial federal state. The paper hypothesises that these led to militancy resulted from the change in world order after the Second World War which exposed the ineffectiveness of the British policy of Indirect Rule in her colonies and the later postindependence multifaceted dynamics. These complexities transformed Kashmir, Biafra and Webaz into bloody theatres for ethno-religious and political conflicts that have been going on for over fifty years now. Using Salman Rushdie, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Angwah Julius in Shalimar the Clown, Half of a Yellow Sun and Before Our Eyes, it indicts how the cultural imprints left by British colonisation and the multifaceted problems intersect with local resistance, economic interests, and cultural shifts to create secessionist movements. Drawing from the Postcolonial theory, it assesses how decolonisation creates cultural pluralism, hybrid identities and resistance in subaltern groups. The paper engages local voices, policy proposals, reimages educational and transnational networks, resource exploitation, ecological changes and environmental justice movements to evince that Rushdie, Ngozi and Angwah blend history, fiction, setting and style through characters that negotiate new North-South and South-South spaces. This leads to new hybrid economic structures and cultural identities that align with post-colonial aspirations for inclusive and equitable development that address historical disparities.
Contestation, Decolonisation, ethnic cleansing, indirect rule, negotiation, non-conformism
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Nyanchi Marcel Ebliylu (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
A Comparative Analysis of the Structure of English and Awing
No language exists without a structure. Structure here, implies the arrangement of grammatical elements in languages. English and Awing, as well as other West African Languages exhibit certain grammatical structures in common. This paper preoccupies itself with a comparative analysis of the structure of English and Awing in respect to grammar. It focuses on determining the extent to which words and sentences are organised in both languages by looking at their similarities and differences. The paper offers a description of English plural morphemes and shows how they differ from those of Awing. It also reveals that even though, the basic order of elements in a sentence in both languages is subject, verb and object (SVO), Awing also has subject-object and verb (SOV) as far as negative sentences are concerned. The difference in their grammatical patterns brings about difficulty and confusion in the use of both languages. The analysis is done using the structuralism approach of Routledge, (1993, p. 262), which states that, Structuralism is, “any approach to linguistic description which views the grammar of a language primarily as a system of relations.” The research is quantitative and qualitative. Having worked as a linguist in the Awing language for twelve years, the researcher made a lot of inputs in developing the language. So, she provided data for this research. Due to their differences in structures, we have come to realise that there is the transfer of the first language (L1) on to the second language (L2) and vice versa, which hinders the good mastery of both languages.
Comparative analysis, structure of English and Awing, grammatical elements, morphemes
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Akem Shedmankah Helen (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Rethinking Afrofuturism in African Postmodernist Art: EngagingPostcolonial Perspectives for New Empowering Pathways
This paper is premised on the hypothesis that African Futurism, and the newer concept of Afro-Nowism, may be more progressive theoretical and creative frameworks capable of capturing the dynamic and diversified African identities in indigenous settings than Afrofutuism. Weaving these concepts into a more sustaining vision of the future anchored more firmly in an African sense was the starting point of its hypothesis. The main aims of the paper were to explore the options of substituting Afrofuturism with African Futurism and Afro-Nowism in postmodern African works of fine arts, music, drama, poetry, film, crafts and autobiography. The research question that drove this investigation was: In what way can African Futurism and Afro-Nowism reformulate Afrofuturism in African postmodern art, by adding nuances to the understanding of the African post-colonial socio-economic, cultural, and political realities? The theoretical framework was postcolonial theory, which equips us with critical resources highlighting dimensions of colonial legacies on identities of Africa. We used this framework to analyze African Futurism and Afro-Nowism as the embodiment of African experiences and future visions due to Afrofuturism’s potential shortcomings. The study paved the way for a fresh front in assessment of Afrocentric artistic forms and contributed to the ongoing discussions on African art and its associated colonial channels of development.
Afrofuturism, African Futurism, AfroNowism, Postmodern Art, Indigenous culture, Postcolonialism
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Alfred Ndi (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Modernism on three Continents: Recalcitrance, Canon, and Appropriation
The cultural history of Euro-America has so influenced discussions in academic circles for the last one hundred years or so that we ignore how the cultural affinities which they bracket and disseminate carry a universal potency that cannot - or is not meant to - be challenged. This was true, and seems to remain so, as long as the pedagogy and diplomacy of mimicry maintained a stranglehold on especially the African nation- state. However, the revaluations which have been inspired through appropriations of the modernist allure and simultaneous romancing of postmodern ambiguities, have eased access into nativist cognition. If modernism subverted traditional aesthetics and provided amazing liberty to the imaginative output of Euro- American writers in particular, it was not the same for the emerging Afro-Oriental counterpart whose art was at the crossroads of a radical shift in political and intellectual cultures. I am therefore interested in the extent to which perceived limitations in Euro-American modernism motivated new perspectives in the western periphery, so that meaning was reaffirmed through seductive experimentation with bioethical data, the anticolonial synergy from “writing back" to postindependence dewriting, and the Africanaissance imaginary in Afrofutures.
Modernism and/as canon, cultural recalcitrance, appropriation and/or mimicry, postindependence, dewriting, Africannaissance/Afrofuturism.
Copyright (c) 2024 Professor Mbuh Tennu Mbuh (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Anarchism in a Postmodernist Approach to Cameroon PidgincreoleStandard Orthography: An Abortive Search for Relevance
Cameroon Pidgincreole is the oldest contact language in Cameroon spanning through the various colonial periods. It is also one of the few languages where people write in without any formal training or instruction. This freedom has generated a lot of documentation, published and unpublished, in CPc to a wide readership, but with no two having exact orthography as it is in other languages where literacy programmes are developed and taught. This paper is of the opinion that this anarchy is a modernist approach where people want to identify themselves independently, ignoring a traditional collective movement towards a common goal. This paper makes use of various published and some unpublished documents in CPc to show this anarchy even among those who opt for the same orthographic system. Some of these documents include- the Pidgin English Bible, grammar books in Pidgin and Literary works. With the use of Chaos Theory, this paper holds that if this anarchy continuous, even in the next hundred years, CPc will not have a standard orthography. This paper calls for the creation of an Association of Cameroon Pidgincreole Scholars (ACPicS).
orthography, anarchy, Modernist, standard, Chaos, Cameroon Pidgincreole
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr Hans Mbonwuh Fonka (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0