ktravula – a travelogue!

SIUE Grad Student Launches International Nonprofit Org to Fill West African University Shelves with Textbooks

For Immediate Release (June 5, 2017)

A brand-new nonprofit organization initiated by a Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) graduate student and a native of Nigeria is filling shelves in African universities with much-needed textbooks donated by faculty and students around the world.

Efiwe, Nigerian Pidgin for “bookworm,” is the charitable organization founded here in Edwardsville with a growing presence at book-drive locations on campuses across the United States. SIUE graduate student Philip Alabi’s fervor for equipping West African post-secondary students with badly-needed textbooks and related resources is resulting in the formation of a 501(c)(3) and two boards of directors, one in Edwardsville and one in Nigeria.

When Àlàbí first arrived in the U.S. two years ago to begin his master’s of science degree in chemistry at SIUE, he saw first-hand how relatively affordable university-level textbooks are to acquire in the U.S. compared to Nigeria. He also saw stacks of still-relevant textbooks in good condition that were being discarded.

“Even for university instructors, textbooks and relevant resource materials are extremely expensive and difficult to come by in West Africa,” Àlàbí said. “In the U.S., there’s the university bookstore, online academic resources and online vendors such as Amazon.com through which students can access the latest versions of textbooks required for their university courses. Sadly this is not the situation in Nigeria, even at the university level. Hard-copy books for courses are typically outdated and there are not enough to go around. If they are attainable, it is generally only the instructors who have a copy of the text, not the students.”

Adding to the challenges, Nigeria’s sporadic power supply and expensive Internet access makes it nearly impossible for university faculty and students in West Africa to access and download online academic resources, according to Àlàbí. “Our aim through Efiwe is to collect relevant textbooks across U.S. colleges and universities and send the books to university and community college libraries in Western Africa,” he said. “Our organizational mission is to send more than one million textbooks to African universities by the year 2030.”

The mission is ambitious, but Efiwe and its boards of directors, inspired by Àlàbí’s passion, are well on their way. In Spring of 2017, before Efiwe was formally conceived, Alabi and fellow SIUE colleagues launched an on-campus book drive with the same purpose. The results were astounding.

“We thought maybe we’d receive a couple hundred donated textbooks at our initial book drop-off sites on campus at SIUE,” said Àlàbí, who will pursue a doctoral degree in chemistry from Brown University in August. “That initial donation topped 1,000 textbooks in only a few months. We also raised funds to pay for the cost of transporting the books by ship to my home university, Tai Solarin University of Education in Nigeria. We are absolutely confident that we can continue the momentum and tap into the generosity of teachers and learners in the U.S.”

Tai Solarin Deputy University Librarian Jasiliu Kadiri said the donated textbooks would add value to teaching, learning and research work at the university. “We acknowledge with profound thanks the receipt of these volumes of books covering various fields including general and pure sciences, education, social sciences and children’s books,” Kadiri said.

Right now Efiwe is identifying university and community college campuses that are willing to establish a textbook drop-off site on their campuses. Efiwe is also seeking students who will operate and champion book drive initiatives in their respective universities and colleges, Alabi said. Ultimately Efiwe will ask for financial support to pay for the transportation of the books by ship from the U.S. to Nigeria and other West Africa destinations. But for now, the biggest and best way supporters can assist the nonprofit organization is by donating new or gently used textbooks on any and all academic subjects.

“We encourage individuals and student associations at community colleges, technical colleges and universities across the Midwestern states who are willing to designate a location on their campus as an Efiwe textbook drop-off site,” Àlàbí said.

Web developers are currently working to create an online book inventory of all the texts and supporting materials that are being donated so recipient universities can order the volumes they need.

For more information on Efiwe, go to Efiwe.org or email info@efiwe.org.

In Memoriam: Fiyinfoluwa Onarinde (1984 – 2015)

I first “met” Fiyin Onarinde one day in April, 2014, when I called to tell him, in Lagos, that I had once occupied the Fulbright FLTA role that he had by then being selected to fill at my old university. His supervisor, the director of the SIUE International Programmes Office, had sent me a mail and asked me to talk to him, answer some of his questions, and generally make him comfortable about travelling to the US for a new experience. We talked for a while, and he promised to call me back, which he did.

He eventually went to SIUE to become one of the memorable Fulbright FLTAs at the Department of Foreign Languages where he taught Yorùbá for two semesters, and made lots of friends. While he was there, we kept in touch regularly, and got feedback from his colleagues, who saw him as a kind and sensitive soul. Later that year, I got a request from him to write an introduction to his book of poems which he had been trying to publish. It was a heartwarming request, which I immediately jumped at. You can read the introduction here, on his Facebook page. The book was published in February 2015.

Fiyin is dead now.

I heard the sad news last week through the same person who had first introduced me to him (who is now based in Ghana, who also heard the news from the university). After his Fulbright year, Fiyinfoluwa had moved from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville to SIU Carbondale to begin a graduate programme. We lost contact for a while, and connected briefly in July while I was in the US. He had wanted to meet, and so did I. We scheduled a meeting, but it didn’t come through, and I haven’t heard from him since. Nobody knows the cause of his death, yet, but foul play has been ruled out, and an autopsy is pending. He was 31 years old, born on Apr 24, 1984, and died on October 18, 2015.

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In this picture, he’s reading to the daughter of his host parent. (Photo: Facebook)

The little I know about him show him to be a kind, sensitive, creative, and decent young man. Our Facebook messages were intermittent, but when we talked, we shared ideas about foreign language teaching, poetry, and the university culture in general. I regret not having met him in person, but the outpouring of condolences from those who did confirms that he made quite a significant impact on those who called him friend. His colleagues and supervisors had only nice things to say about him. He is survived by his parents, and a wife, Busola Asaolu Onarinde.

The SIUE African Student Association is holding a memorial service for him on Friday, November 6 at 4:30 at the Center for Spirituality and Sustainability. An online memorial has also been opened for him here.

His new book, Market Parliament and Other Poems can be purchased on Amazon.

Surviving SIUE – A Cheat Sheet

Over the last couple of years, I’ve received mails from young people who have gained admission into Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, are about to travel, and are interested in tips that can help them survive in the institution. I’ve often had to write them long emails answering particular aspects of their requests. Today, I want to put much of my thoughts on the matter here, in order to help many more that might stumble on the blog while looking for information about the school and the city. (I wrote something similar, earlier, for Fulbright FLTAs heading to the US, if this is your category).

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First off, congrats on your admission into SIUE. You should be proud of that. If you are also lucky to have got one of the many tuition waivers available for exceptional students, even better. Congratulations. What this means is that all you’ll have to worry about is feeding, housing, and transportation. To have the tuition burden taken off is a big relief. If you’re also extremely lucky enough to already have a Graduate Assistant (GA) position that also pays you a stipend of about $8.50 per hour for 20hr work per week, along with the tuition waiver, then even better. You are one of the luckiest students. All we have to do now is talk about the school, the environment, the people, and other interesting details. If you don’t have any of these grants and you still have admission to SIUE, let me address you first, below.

As a student, one of the things that could help take your mind of the stress of studying is a tuition waiver and/or scholarship. Most schools have this for exceptional students who apply for it. SIUE is no exception. I know a couple of friends who have applied and received this scholarship/waiver/grant without knowing anyone in the University. They merely applied on the website, followed up, and were selected because of their record. If you still have the time, go here and see if there’s one you can apply for. GA positions are usually advertised on the school website as well. With those, you get to work for the school in different capacities (either as a research assistant to a professor or a food attendant at the school food court. There are many others in-between), and get a stipend of up to $850 per month. Ask about these before you travel.

About the School: Much of what you need to know about SIUE can be found on the school website or on Wikipedia. Located in a conservative part of Illinois (at the bottom left end), most of the students in the school are from Illinois and neighbouring areas. Some of them have actually never travelled out of the Southern Illinois region before, which once surprised me. According to Wikipedia, 9.68% of enrolment comes from other foreign students. Out of this, there are Indians, Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean, African and European students. However, notwithstanding the seeming insularity, the presence of SIUE brings a multicultural presence to the area, and you will be surprised at how knowledgeable a number of the people you meet are about the world.

About Classes: I studied Linguistics/Teaching English as a Second Language in the Department of English, so my knowledge of class and studying is limited to that and the Department of Foreign Languages where I taught for one year as a Fulbrighter. If you’re familiar with this blog, you probably have an idea of my experience both as a student and as a teacher. The summary is that the classes are thorough, the teachers are patient and knowledgeable, and the master’s program is usually a combination of stressful and interesting times, as you’d expect from anything worthwhile. It helps a lot to talk to teachers about whatever is bothering you, ask questions rather than assume, and always turn in your assignments as at when due. Avoid plagiarism in all cases. This can cost you grades and your reputation.

Social and Care: SIUE has something called the International Hospitality Program. You should read about it. They’re also on FB. What it is is a group of (usually retired) family men and women interested in social good who volunteer themselves to be host families for international students. They do not really “host” you in their houses for the duration of your stay, but they invite you out, send you birthday cards, give you occasional rides to town, among other small conveniences. You’d be surprised at how much of a relief that usually is for a student living far away from home. One of the things that made my first night on campus one of my most memorable was the package left for me in my apartment by members of the IHP. My host family was a couple with an Indian father and a white mother, both Americans. They eventually became like real family inviting me out on occasions, sending me Christmas cards, etc. I am still good friends with their children, even across the distance.

Accommodation: For university housing, I’ve always expressed my preference for Cougar Village. I like it because it is a “village” in the true sense of it, but it’s also a small town, depending on what indices are used. It has a post office, a beautiful lake, a police presence, a regular bus schedule, fast (and complementary) internet and cable, heating and air conditioning, and a number of interesting features. I have many fond memories living there. However, I should say that the fact that I had a scholarship (for at least one year of my study) made it easy to stay at Cougar Village. The cost might be too prohibitive for many. In that case, having accommodation in town is advisable. You should ask around, preferably from international students associations. They will be able to tell you where you can get decent housing at affordable rates off campus. As most students also realise, sharing an apartment with a colleague/fellow student/friend is also a smart way to save money since both of you can share the costs of the amenities you consume.

Outdoor Social: Being a small town has not robbed Edwardsville (and the greater St. Louis area) of its fun. There is (or used to be) a small bar downtown called Stagger Inn where you can get very good toasted raviolis (my favourite snack) for under $10. The beer is good and you have a range to choose from. It also usually has a live band at least once a week. Close to it is Erato Bar where you can get the best mojito in town. If you crave Asian food, there is a Wasabi Sushi bar at 100 South Buchanan Street. There is also (was, at least, when I was there) a Chinese buffet in the same complex where you can eat-all-you-can for about $10. My favourite place for wine is an old winery about five minutes drive from downtown where you can taste the different types of wine before buying. I hope it’s still there. I think it is. Just found the homepage. You’ll find many more by going online for reviews, or talking to people. If you don’t go to town a lot, the Skywalk Cafe on campus located above the space between Founders Hall and Alumni Hall has one of the best wraps I’ve ever had. The food there is not bad for a student who has to shuttle between one class and another.

Transportation: In Edwardsville, as in most parts of the United States, it helps to have a means of transportation. Mine for about a year was a bicycle given to me by my adoptive father. I looked a lot awkward riding it around campus, particularly with a Nigerian cap on my head everywhere I went, but I loved it because it freed me from having to always wait for the bus. It also helped me discover Edwardsville by myself, depending on no one but a city map. In the winter, it may be a little tricky to remain on a bike, but thankfully the buses that go from campus to Cougar Village also made allowance for the bicycles in front of the bus. In any case, the situation of the roads will determine when is best to ride. The best alternative, of course, is to have a car. But since this is not an option open to every student, many of who have to pinch pennies to survive, I’d say go with the bus. It cost about a dollar to move from one place to another. The buses also go to almost everywhere, so you won’t get lost. The best thing about the bus is that it is usually air conditioned and is a good place to read or do people-watching, if that’s your thing.

Food: Like I said earlier, there are a number of good restaurants to visit if you can. Otherwise, cook at home. It’s cheaper and you have control. For my Nigerian/African brothers, some American foods can take getting used to, but it’s not big enough a deal to turn you off totally. Try things out and you’ll discover what you like and what you don’t.

Academic/Intellectual Resources: The Best Small Library in America for 2010 is located in Glen Carbon, about twenty minutes drive from campus. If you ever have the chance, pay it a visit. It’s a beautiful and resourceful place. I wrote about it once too, for the now defunct 234Next newspaper. I reprinted it here. You can find the pictures here. Otherwise, the Elijah Lovejoy Library on campus is a good enough place for research, studying, and any other intellectual enterprise. But if you live downtown Edwardsville and you want a place to use, the Edwardsville Library is also very good, and accessible. If what you want are non-academic intellectual clubs, ask around. I know of the Eugene Redmond Book Club in St. Louis. Google it. There are also a few open mic poetry readings around town that might interest you if you’re into poetry and such.

Other Dos/Don’ts: I can’t think of much. It’s a beautiful and lovely town, with nice and lovely people. Make friends, don’t be afraid to ask questions, and have fun. Before you know it, two years (or whatever number of years you need to spend) will be over, and you’ll be sad to leave. You’ll miss the deer and the ducks, the walkways and the lake. There are probably many more things you need to know that I can’t remember here. Don’t worry. Whenever you need to know it, you will. Most importantly, have lots of fun. And oh, don’t forget to keep plenty quarters on you at all times ;).

Good luck!

Conversations with Neil deGrasse Tyson

America’s most famous astrophysicist dropped by campus today for an event of the SIUE Graduate School. Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson is the director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City and the recipient of the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award given by NASA to a non-government citizen. He is also the author of The Pluto Files and Death by Black Hole (and other Cosmic Quandaries).

His talk, titled “Our Past, Present, and Future in Space” focused on the regression and eventual end of the US space program, and the contribution of public and political apathy to this end. Those who have heard him talk will already be familiar with his worldview: a passionate defense of imagination and a unified, inspiring public policy for science. The end of the space program, according to Mr. Tyson, is one of the worst things to have happened to America in a long time not only because of the now total absence of motivation among young people, but also because of how the general apathy has now negatively affected the status of the country in the world. In a preview to the visitor’s speech, Dean Aldemaro Romero of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences had this to say: “While I was growing up in Venezuela and told my parents that I wanted to be an astronaut, they told me ‘You have to be either an American or a Russian.’ Now, many decades later, as an American citizen, I have found out that to go to space, I’d either have to be Chinese or Russian.”

There was a lot more. The maps of the world, when plotted on a chart on the basis of resources spent on science (and, on another chart, on the basis of scientific progress/development in the last decade) shows the African continent virtually invisible. What concerned Dr. Tyson however – as well as the members of the audience – was the shrunken shape of the American map as well. Even Brazil, and Japan, on this map showed far more encouraging progress, to the dismay of all who have previously believed this country as being on the farthest frontier of future advancements. Many things are wrong, among which is the absence of a political will and imagination.

At the reception party arranged for him, I asked for his opinion on the absence of scientific advancement in Africa, and whether the frontier had irrevocably moved westwards. He disagreed, opining instead that like every great civilization had come and gone, the continent would have its turn again at some point in time. There is a particular initiative at the moment in South Africa, he said, where scientists have begun training young high school students in order to be able to produce the next big scientist (of the stature of Albert Einstein) and a Nobel Prize in Physics from the African continent. What did he think of Physicist Richard Feynman? “He’s as brilliant as he has been described,” he replied.

Known among young people in America today as the man who relegated Pluto from the status of a planet to that of a mere floating astral rock, Neil has contributed to the progress of modern science and astrophysics in popular culture than most people in the world today, and continues to do so. It was quite an enlightening event. His autograph on my copy of his book simply read: “To Kola, welcome to the universe.”

His book, The Pluto Files details in a fun manner the arguments and debates surrounding the relegation of the former planet Pluto, including also letters from angry young children and cartoons from the media weighing in on the many sides of the relegation debate.

Previous guest speakers at the Arts & Issues events here include Maya Angelou, Ken Burns, and the Basie Count Orchestra. I recommend this video, by the way, Dr. Tyson in conversation with Stephen Colbert. (H/T @loomnie)

Destination Edwardsville

Once upon a time in a distant land, I packed my bags, said goodbye to my folks and decided that I was going to be away for a few months on a Fulbright programme. It became one of the most interesting decisions of my adult life. I saw the world on my own terms. I fell in love, and wrote poems, and challenged authorities, and danced, and travelled, and did all the things that I wanted to. Most of it. It was a most memorable experience. The theme song of my trip must be either Frank Sinatra’s My Way or Whitney Houston’s One Moment in Time.

In a few weeks time, I’m heading back to Edwardsville for something else, perhaps for a longer time. A true story. I guess the countdown should already begin by now. This time, it is definitely going to be a different experience, don’t you think?

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