A personal view of a former Humboldt fellow from Nigeria
Several of my friends and acquaintances still wonder how I seem to have succeeded in embracing Germany without difficulty – the reason being that many people still find the country a bit foreboding. I obviously enjoy travelling to Germany as frequently as the opportunity presents itself and, as the Alexander von Humboldt Ambassador Scientist in Nigeria, I do not seem to get tired of going around, telling people about the wonderful research opportunities which exist in Germany, and encouraging greater cooperation between German and African academics. So, how did I come about becoming what several people would describe as a “Germanophile”?
My first trip to Germany was in the summer of 1973. I had started studying German as a second foreign language (after French) at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) and had been awarded a scholarship to attend a 6-week course at the Goethe Institute in Brilon, near Paderborn.
I have wonderful memories of my stay in that small, quiet and beautiful town. That trip was my first experience of summer, and I simply could not believe, when I woke up the day after my arrival, that there could be so much daylight that early in the morning. I was sure my watch must have stopped during the night. So I jumped out of bed, quickly got ready and rushed off to the institute – only to get there at the same time as the cleaner, around 6.30 a.m! On another occasion, a little girl saw me and whispered to her mother, loudly enough for me to hear: “Eine Frau aus der Sonne”! Of course, there were not many people of my colour walking around in Brilon then.
The most interesting – and embarrassing – incident, however, occurred in a shop. I went in and started looking at the clothes hanging on a rack, wondering why they were all kept in plastic bags. Fortunately, I found none that I really liked, and so I left. Well, I later learned that the word “Reinigung”, which I had seen on the shop but thought was the shop’s name, actually meant “Dry cleaning”. I had been looking to buy a dress in a dry cleaner’s shop. No wonder they were looking at me rather strangely! Well, I made sure that I did not pass in front of that shop again until I left the town.
When my husband was a visiting researcher at the Max-Rubner Meat Research Institute in Kulmbach in 1986, I went with our two children to spend Christmas with him. Then I was a Ph.D. student at Cornell University, USA. My husband had travelled to Germany as a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and that was to become the beginning of our family’s involvement with that unique and prestigious institution. After completing his one-year stay in Germany, shared between Kulmbach and Berlin, my husband encouraged me to work towards obtaining the Humboldt fellowship as well. In 1995, I too was awarded the research fellowship of the Humboldt Foundation, which afforded me the opportunity to spend a year at the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz.
The fellowship of the Humboldt Foundation is like no other; and that is the simple truth. I do not know of any other academic fellowship which is as carefully and thoughtfully conceived or as well organized as the Humboldt fellowships. Its main distinguishing features are the two to four months of German language study, the series of conferences organized for fellows, the tour around parts of Germany, the family-support program, and the incredible back-up system given to fellows after returning to their countries – books and equipment donation as well as financial support for attending conferences abroad or organizing conferences (called Humboldt-Kollegs) locally.
Obtaining the Humboldt fellowship is seen by most fellows as a boost to their professional advancement, especially for those of us from third world countries. The opportunities afforded us during that year serve to propel us more rapidly in our careers: having access to very good libraries and laboratories, being hosted by professors many of whom are among the best in their areas of specialization, as well as the opportunity to participate in the academic life of the host institutes and to attend conferences in Germany and other European countries. By the end of our stay, we had managed to publish several scientific articles in well-known journals, and some even have book projects well under way.
Humboldtians who are able to bring their families with them during their stay in Germany end up having the experience of a lifetime. At least, that is the way it has turned out for my family. The year we spent in Mainz (my husband was based in Hohenheim but came “home” to Mainz on the weekends) is one which we all remember with great fondness. My host, Professor Dr. Walter Bisang, who has now become a good friend, had found us a lovely apartment which we thoroughly enjoyed living in. The children had great fun at school, ate loads of Bratwurst and Eis, and have kept up with the German they acquired during that year.
People say that Germans do not make friends easily or invite people into their homes quickly. While that may be true, we have nonetheless had the good fortune of meeting some very friendly Germans who not only invited us to their homes but have even come to visit us in our own country too! Of course, there were one or two somewhat unpleasant occurrences, but that happens everywhere. Each country has nice people and not-so-nice ones, and one just has to take everybody as they come.
On the whole, being a “Humboldt family” and, consequently, being associated with Germany, is one fact of our lives that all of us in my family are very happy about. Long live the German-Nigerian friendship!////
About the author:
Professor Dr. Remi Sonaiya works at the Department of Foreign Languages at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Nigeria. In 1995 she was awarded the research fellowship of the Humboldt Foundation, which afforded her the opportunity to spend a year in Germany at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz.
