Dr Chinwe Okolo: Celebrating a Literary Amazon

Dr Chinwe Okolo: Celebrating a Literary Amazon

In the scheme of things, Dr. Chinwe Jane Okolo, can best be described as an Amazon. A consummate wife and mother, erudite scholar and linguistics major, but perhaps what stands her out the most is her passion to help all she comes across.

Her students at Ebonyi State University, where she was once the Head of Department call her a virtuous woman, her children call her blessed, likewise her siblings, who see her more as a mother-figure than an elder sister, having stood in the gap when their mother died early.

Born in the 1960s, Okolo who is married to a medical doctor, recently bagged a doctorate in Philosophy at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), thus crowning her decades of teaching and love for education.

Her educational qualifications also speaks for her. Before bagging a PhD this year from the prestigious UNN, she already had in her kitty Master of Arts degree in French, also from UNN, a Bachelor of Arts in Education and French, still from UNN and a Diplome Superieur (French for diploma) from Universite De Grenoble, France D’Etudes Francaises IIIème Degre in 1982 and a Diplome D’Etudes in 1981, still from Universite De Grenoble, France Francaises IIème Degre. She also had her West African School Certificate (WASC) in 1977 from Oraifite Secondary School, Anambra State.

Her work experience has spanned years, from 1998 till date. At the Abia State University in Uturu, she was a lecturer at the Abakiliki Distance Learning Centre.

From 2000 till date, she has been a lecturer at Ebonyi State University. She is also an adjunct lecturer at the
Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndifu Alike Ikwo from the 2016/2017 session.

She has held educational administrative positions like the Head of Department (HOD) of languages and linguistics at the Ebonyi State University, Abakiliki from 2004 to 2010 and the Coordinator, French Unit from 2010 to 2015.
Okolo is also a member of so many professional bodied including the University French Teachers Association of Nigeria (UFTAN) and Fédération Internationale des Professeurs de Français(FIPF), among others.

Internationally, she has attended workshops like BELC UNIVERSITE D’ETE 2014, Université de Nantes, France from July 5 to August 3, 2014 and UNIVERSITE DE RECFLEA, Village du Benin, Lome, Togo on April 6 to 7, 2009.

Locally, she attended the Stage Pédagogique enseignement du fle CFTD, Enugu from November 3 to 5, 2011, Technique de formation dans l’enseignement Pre-Universitaire du FLE, NFLV, Badagry, Sept, 10 to 12, 2012, Stage de recyclage pour les professeurs de français des universités, NFLV, Badagry, December 3 to 7, 2012 and Stage Pédagogique enseignement du fle CFTD Enugu from March 11 to 15, 2013.

Okoli also has many publications in her kitty, some of which include journals like
Okolo Chinwe J. “La Transformation Sociale : Apport de l’œuvrede Jacques Roumain” African Literary Journal ALJ B5 (2005) :78-100;

Okolo Chinwe J. “Social Transformation: The literary contributions of Jacques Roumain” English Translation in African Literary Journal ALJ B5 (2005):78-100; Okolo Chinwe J. “L’organisation de l’espace dans La Vie et Demie de Sony Labou Tansi” in La Revue Internationale de Littérature et Linguistique Appliquées (RILLA) 1 1(2010) :149-179;

Okolo Chinwe J. “Le Carnavalesque dans L’Etat Honteux de Sony Labou Tansi” in Nsukka Journal of Humanities 18 (2009/2010) : 201-211; Okolo Chinwe J. “Évaluation de la version française de la traduction de Purple Hibiscus par Mona de Pracontal” La Revue des Etudes Francophone de Calabar (RETFRAC) 12 1 (2013) : 212-231; Okolo Chinwe J. “Réflexions sur l’enseignement et l’apprentissage de la littérature : Le cas des UniversitésNigérianes” Le Bronze, University of Benin Journal of French Studies, 2 1(2014) :128-155; Okolo Chinwe J. “La Non violence active : Discours social dans Le Mat de Cocagne de René Depestre et Les Sept Solitudes de Lorsa Lopez de Sony Labou Tansi.” Revue de l’Association Nigériane des Enseignants Universitaires de Français (RANEUF) 12 (2014) :105-122; and Okolo Chinwe J. “L’enseignement du français de base aux universités nigérianes: Le défi du CECR. ” Revue de l’Association Nigériane des Enseignants Universitaires de Français (RANEUF) 16 (2015) : 148-168
Others include Okolo Chinwe J. “Towards improving linguistic competence among core french graduates in Nigeria » Ebsu Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 5 1(2015):63-73;

Okolo Chinwe J. “Le Dialogisme dans Le Zeheros n’est pas n’importe qui De Williams Sassine” ABUDoF Journal of Humanities Department of French Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.6 1(2016): 262-275; Okolo Chinwe J ” L’intertextualité au service du discours social : Gouverneurs de la rosée de Jacques Roumain et Le mât de cocagne de René Depestre” International journal of humanities and Cultural Studies 3 1(2016) :1026 -1035 (indexed in Thomson Reuters and Web of Science); Okolo Chinwe J. “L’Esthétique de l’espace dans Allah n’est pas obligé de Ahmadou Kourouma”. International journal of humanities and Cultural Sudies 3 2(2016):445-455 (indexed in Thomson Reuters and Web of Science}; Okolo C.J , Ali M.I. « La mémoire au service de la résistanceculturelle : L’exil selon Julia de Gisele Pineau . An International Journal of Arts and Humanities (IJAH) Vol. 6 1 No 20 2017 pp.74-84.

More journals include: Okolo C.J. “Exploiter la literature en classe de Fle: Allah n’est pas obligé d’Ahmadou Kourouma’
African Research Review Vol. 11.1 No 45 January 2017 pp. 182-191; Ali, M. I. Okolo C.J. “L’absorption d’un discours social Nigérien : Esclave à 11ans de Fatima Boscaro. An International Journal of Language, Literature and Gender Studies(LALIGENS)Vol. 6.2 No 14 August , 2017 pp 111-121; and Okolo, C. J. “L’espace Romanesque de Sony Labou Tansi: Enjeu des forces sociolectales” An International Journal of Arts and Humanities (IJAH) Vol. 6 4 23 No 20 2017 pp103-113.

Some of her books and book chapters include Okolo, C.J. L’inscription de l’espace dans les romans de Sony Labou Tansi. Beau Bassin : Éditions Universitaires Européennes, 2018; and Okolo Chinwe J. “Le Procès Juridique dans Une Aube si Fragileet 15 ans ça suffit : Une Technique romanesque significative”.Languages and Nation building, a Festschrift in honour of Prof Evaristus Ogechi Anyaehie. 2015 191-200, respectively.

She has also presented conference papers like; Okolo Chinwe J.”La Transformation sociale : Apport de l’œuvre de Jacques Roumain” 5th Annual NUFTA Conference, University of Ife November, 3 – 7. 2002; Okolo Chinwe J. “Le procès dans Une Aube si Fragile et 15 ans ça suffit : Une technique significative.9th Annual UFTAN Conference, University of Nigeria Nsukka November 5-9 2006; and Okolo Chinwe J. “La Non Violence Active : Discours Social Dans Le Mat De Cocagne De René Depestre Et Les Sept Solitudes De Lorsa Lopez De Sony Labou Tansi.” 16TH UFTAN Conference, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife 9th -14th March 2014.

Others include; Okolo Chinwe J “Le dialogisme dans Le Zéhéros n’est pas n’importe qui de Williams Sassine” 17th UFTAN Conference, Nigerian French Language Village, Badagry, November 9 to 13, 2014; Okolo Chinwe J. “L’enseignement du Français de base aux universités nigérianes: Le défi du CECR” 2nd Biennial International Conference, Department of Foreign Languages, University of Benin, May 3 to 7, 2015; Okolo Chinwe J. “La memoire au service de la resistance culturelle: L’exil selon Julia de Gisèle Pineau” Ist International Interdisciplinary Conference of the Deparment of Linguistics and Literary Studies, Ebonyi State University Abakaliki from August 2 to 4 ,2016; and
Okolo Chinwe J “La Reine Pokou de Véronique Tadjo : une subversion dialogique d’un discours social ivoirien ” 20th UFTAN Conference, Nigerian French Language Village, Badagry, November 12 to 16, 2017.

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