VICTORIA EDEME speaks to the author of the first-ever Physics textbook in Igbo language, Ogbonnaya Okoro, on his record-breaking feat
Where did you grow up and what was your childhood like?
 My name is Maazi Ogbonnaya Okoro.I was born on June 26, 1993, in Umuka Okposi Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. I grew up in my village, Umuka Okposi, where, just like other inquisitive children, I was very close with elders. My grandmother was my best friend and a source of inspiration for me. She would tell me stories about our past, culture, history, and everything about the Igbo. My childhood experience was full of beautiful memories with titled men and women in the village who inspired me and that has turned out to be my drive.
Can you talk more about your educational background?
I attended Umuka Community Primary School. After my secondary school education, I attended the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where I studied Linguistics and Igbo. As an undergraduate, I wrote Igbo literature books in my first year. The books were used for undergraduate examinations. Some departments offering Igbo literature like English, Education Arts, Combined Arts, Music, Linguistics, Theatre and Film Studies, etc. also used the book for elective Igbo courses. In my second year, I also wrote books that were used to set exams for us. That means I and my course mates used my book to sit exams. As an undergraduate, I started co-authoring books with professors. There is also an Igbo poem anthology that I edited alongside my lecturer. I then became an editor for different publishing companies.
At that point, colleges of education and secondary schools in different places in Igboland were also using my books for various exams. In my final year, I published a book that was recommended for master’s and PhD students. Subsequently, I trained at Newcastle University and the University of Wesson, Scotland, on translation and subtitles. I subtitled some documentary films where I worked with Zambian languages. My experience in research and translations cuts across sciences, arts, and health.
What inspired you to write the first-ever Physics textbook in Igbo language?
Firstly, what inspired me to write the first-ever Physics textbook in the Igbo language is the love I have for the language. Secondly, it is due to the threats that the language is being faced with. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, and other scholars predicted that the Igbo language has been faced with the threat of extinction. I also noticed that in most parts of the world, Germany, France, and Spain use their languages to teach. There was a scholarship that I wanted to apply for to study in Romania, and I was told that the Romanian language was compulsory. The Igbo race has a larger population than Romania as a country, and they use their language to teach.
When you go to Scandinavian countries, you will find out that they use their languages to teach. So why shouldn’t Igbo, with over 50 million population around the world, use our language to learn? I also found out that most students find it hard to understand Physics because of some terminologies. So how do we break those terminologies and simplify them to enable students to learn? This was one of the reasons I decided to create the first-ever Physics textbook in the Igbo language. Learning in a native tongue enhances quality education. This project was also done to challenge other African nations to see that it is possible to use our languages in teaching sciences.
Why did you begin with Physics and not any other science subject?
Physics is like an engine house or ‘mother’ of all sciences. If you want to talk about sciences, you start with Physics. This project is just the first of what I’m working on. I’m not yet done with Physics. There’ll still be second and third editions (of the book). I’m also arranging other Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics courses like Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics. If students can understand Physics, they will advance technologically. If students can use their local language to internalise what Physics is all about, it will help them understand other sciences and be creative.
Can you share some insights into the process of translating complex Physics concepts into the Igbo language?
As a professional translator, there are ways I can render some words. In translation, we have various theories and I employed all the theories when translating complex Physics concepts into the Igbo language. There are theories called localisation, domestication, and dynamic equivalence. There are some words I had to render based on what was obtainable. I also researched a lot.
For each complex word, I had to translate, I had to read and study different textbooks in Physics so that I would have an idea of what the concept was all about. I also used the Oxford Dictionary of Physics, which I referenced in the book. After I used the dictionary to understand those words, I started thinking of a way to make people understand the concept. When I find the equivalent and then use the theory of localisation or domestication, I would be able to efficiently explain it in such a way that anybody could understand, regardless of their educational background.
How do you envision this textbook impacting the education landscape for Igbo-speaking students?
I am a professional linguist and understand the impact of language. For any society to stand, the language must be loved and used to learn. There are some words I forget in English, but the knowledge of Igbo will help me to remember them. That is why bilingualism is very important. This textbook will impact the educational sector because the Igbo students will read it. They will understand it because I used the simplest Igbo language that any speaker can understand. If they can understand the Bible, they will understand this textbook. They won’t throw away their Physics textbook in English, but this one will help them understand the Physics textbook they are studying in school and aid their learning.
With this, Igbo students will be able to understand some complex things they are reading and see how they are being explained. It will help them to understand Physics and simplify some complex words that they do not understand. This is what I envisioned for this project. It will also help to push the Igbo language forward, make it survive, and not go into extinction. The students will learn new vocabulary added to the Igbo language through this project. As leaders of tomorrow, the students will also give the same knowledge to their families and children.
What challenges did you encounter while developing the textbook, and how did you overcome them?
I encountered so many challenges. However, I do not focus on the challenges. I only look at the results. Whenever I focus on the results, I don’t see challenges as obstacles. My first obstacle was doubt. People told me that it could not happen. Some saw me as a madman. Even publishers were seeing me as somebody who was sick in the head. They were even scared to publish the book. Some publishers refused to publish the book because they saw it as an unproductive business. People doubted me and queried me about who would read the book. So it became a challenge but I didn’t listen to anyone.
Another challenge was the amount of research that went into the project. I spent about 22 hours daily working. I had to read, understand, meditate, think, and do a lot of work. In terms of finances, the project is capital-intensive. I don’t have a sponsor. In this kind of project, people did not believe me. They saw it as a waste of resources and not worth investing in. I did not see this project as a business. I see it as something that can solve a lot of problems in the Igbo educational sector. I also see it as a revolution and a challenge for other African languages to rise. My book is the first Physics textbook in an African language.
So I did not allow these challenges to affect me. I did all I could to make sure that the project came to life. I told myself that even if it meant going into debt, I would do it. I wasn’t just seeing the present, I was seeing the future. That was what came into my mind when I started this project. During publishing, we found out that some Igbo forms were missing from the system.
How do you believe that introducing Physics education in the Igbo language will affect cultural preservation and identity?
Physics education in the Igbo language will affect cultural preservation and identity because the pride of every nation is its language. It seems as though we don’t have our pride because we study other people’s cultures and ideologies. We do not study our own culture. Chinese are becoming highly powerful because of their cultural preservation which is a result of studying their language. The same thing can happen in the Igbo educational sector. So when people start studying in Igbo, the pride of studying in their language will be there and there will be a preservation of culture and identity. Without language, there is no culture or education. So this project aims to help the Igbo appreciate their identity and there will not be an identity crisis. When an identity crisis is absent, there will be advancement in knowledge, innovation, and creativity.
Can you describe the target audience for the textbook and how you tailored the content to suit their needs?
This is my first time going into STEM courses. I followed the curriculum of secondary schools in Physics while writing the book. I had secondary students in mind while producing the book. They are the primary target audience because they are the ones who will read it and study it well. It will also serve as a foundational level for those preparing for the Senior School Certificate Examination. The contents of this project are also for all Igbo. It was written in such a way that even the okada rider or akara seller could understand Physics. That is why we need to ensure that the book is used in various schools and libraries so that people can consult it. Another target audience is researchers in terms of science, Physics, language, etc. I want to introduce the concept of ‘psycholinguistics’, which will be the study of language and Physics. I’m proposing this so that linguists can also study Physics at the same time so that they can create more.
In what ways do you hope this textbook will contribute to increasing interest and proficiency in Physics among Igbo-speaking students?
This textbook will surely contribute to increasing interest and proficiency in Physics among Igbo students. When there is new vocabulary added in a particular language from a subject area that has not been studied, it will increase the proficiency of any speaker of that particular language. For instance, the Igbo language has never been used to translate Physics before. An Igbo student who wants to use Igbo to learn Physics will have increased proficiency because new words have been added to the language that was not in existence before. So when the student wants to speak, he will add those new Igbo terminologies, thereby increasing his vocabulary and language proficiency. The textbook has already ignited so much interest in the Igbo language.
Who was your greatest motivation while writing the book?
I had a lot of motivation from scholars. My greatest motivator was my mentor, Prof Inno Nwadike. He’s late now. I met him at 18. He was a renowned professor of Igbo studies. When he saw me, he picked interest in me. Apart from the academic sector, he mentored me and nurtured me. We read together and he gave me a lot of books to read. He motivated me because he did a lot of work in Igbo studies. He taught me how to be an editor in the Igbo language. He initiated the idea of using pure Igbo to teach some courses at the UNN. Unfortunately, he died before the book was published. He was one of the people I dedicated this book to. I will also mention Dr F. C. Ogbalu, whose area of specialty was Economics, but he always promoted the Igbo language. Without him, I don’t think it would have been possible for me to write the book. He laid the foundation for the Igbo language to be promoted. Others are Prof Nolue Emenanjot and Prof Nnabuenyi Ugonna.
What advice will you give to other educators or individuals interested in creating educational resources in indigenous languages based on your experience?
I’d advise you not to listen to those who doubt or tell you that it is impossible. When you listen to people, you won’t be able to do anything. Those who say you cannot do it are those who will celebrate you when you successfully do it. So you have to focus. I am challenging all African educators and individuals interested in creating educational resources to do it in their indigenous languages. Don’t believe that nobody will read your book, whether you think it is a minor language or not. In my experience, there is nothing you fix your mind on that you cannot do. Only you can stop you. Also, don’t have money in mind when embarking on such a project. You may be disappointed that money may not come. When you have money in mind to create these resources, it may not go the way you want it. See it as knowledge you want to give out, an impact you want to make, and a solution to a problem. You also have to be consistent, do a lot of research, and learn. You should also be ready for destructive and constructive criticisms. You need to have passion because, without passion, you cannot do it.
