UNC Charlotte Professor Honored for Scholarly Work on Behalf of Africa

First Citizens Bank recognizes Tanure Ojaide with highest merit for scholarship and intellectual inquiry

April 3, 2006

CHARLOTTE - For his scholarship and research on behalf of Africa and dedication to the critical issues facing the African people, UNC Charlotte Africana Studies Professor Tanure Ojaide is the 2006 recipient of the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal.

“First Citizens is proud to present this award to Dr. Ojaide and to recognize his contributions in literature and poetry and to the field of Africana studies,” said the bank’s Mecklenburg Area Executive William Braddy. “We are honored to have a role in rewarding Dr. Ojaide’s achievements and work, and we value our longstanding partnership with the University.”

First Citizens Bank and The University of North Carolina at Charlotte will recognize Ojaide’s accomplishments tonight, at the Westin Hotel in uptown Charlotte. The program begins at 7:30 p.m. The award, established in 1987, is UNC Charlotte’s highest honor for faculty scholarship and intellectual inquiry.

A professor at the university since 1993, Ojaide is known for bringing an exceptional level of dedication and imagination to his teaching.

“Dr. Ojaide is one of the most scholarly and prolific faculty at UNC Charlotte,” says Mario Azevedo, chair of the Africana Studies Department. “Our department is proud to have in our midst a talented fiction writer and dedicated professor, whose work has been recognized and awarded both nationally and internationally.”

During his tenure, Ojaide has taught courses on African Literature, Music & Art, Literary Analysis of Black Protest of the 1960s, Folklore and Oral Traditions of Africa and the African Diaspora to name a few. His research has focused on the plight of women in African patriarchy and the history of oppression in Africa. Ojaide’s professional associations include membership in the International Association of University Professors of English, the African Studies Association, the North Carolina Writers Network, and International Black Writers, Charlotte.

In addition to his teaching and research, Ojaide has been honored with nearly 30 prizes, grants and fellowships from institutions in Africa, Europe and North America that include the All-Africa Okigbo Prize for Poetry and the overall British Broadcasting Corporation Arts and Africa Poetry. He has published 16 books of poetry and eight books of fiction, non-fiction, language and literary criticism. Notable works include “In the House of Words” (2005) and “Poetry, Performance and Art: The Udje Dance Songs of the Urhobo People” (2003).

In 2005, Ojaide’s work in creative writing was the subject of an international conference at Delta State University that brought together participants from the United States, South Africa, Canada, Cameroon and Nigeria.

Prior to UNC Charlotte, Ojaide taught in Nigeria at the Federal Government College in Warri, the Petroleum Training Institute in Effurun, the University of Maiduguri and at Whitman College in Walla Walla Washington. He earned a bachelor of arts in English from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, along with a master’s in creative writing and a doctorate in English from Syracuse University.

About First Citizens Bank

First Citizens has served the people and businesses of Mecklenburg County for more than 45 years. Founded in 1898, North Carolina-headquartered First Citizens operates 339 branches in 200 cities and towns in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and Maryland . For more information, visit firstcitizens.com or call toll-free 1.888.FC DIRECT (1.888.323.4732). The bank’s mission is to provide superior financial services to individual customers, small to mid-sized businesses, professionals and the medical community.

About UNC Charlotte

A doctoral/research intensive university, UNC Charlotte is the fourth largest of the 16 institutions within the University of North Carolina system and the largest institution of higher education in the Charlotte region. The university comprises seven professional colleges and currently offers 16 doctoral programs, 59 master’s degree programs and 83 programs leading to bachelor’s degrees. Enrollment exceeds more than 20,000 students and includes more than 4,400 graduate students.

Barbara Thompson
919.716.2716
First Citizens Bank