Packaging African Storybooks to promote Literacy in Tiv Language
Terkule Aorabee, March 2022
Dr Joyce Dankaro, Head of the Department of Tiv Language Studies at the College of Education Katsina Ala in Benue State has used the African Storybook platform to further Tiv language curriculum implementation in the North Central State of Nigeria where the Tiv Language is predominantly spoken.
Despite Tiv language studies being made compulsory in Benue State Primary schools for Primary classes 1-6, the scarcity of reading texts, comprehension and Tiv grammar remain a huge challenge for teachers. To address the shortage of appropriate reading material in Tiv, Dr Dankaro has facilitated two important initiatives. First, she has written Hen Zwa Tiv u Ngeren man Oron sha Akenge, a Tiv language book in a series of two for Primary classes 1 and 6, thus generating new reading material in Tiv for school children to enjoy.
Second, she has introduced the Tiv Language students at the College of Education where she works to the ASb platform. As part of a translation skills project, she got the students to download selected, ASb approved storybooks and to translate those written in Tiv into English, as well as getting them to translate English books into Tiv. This project has ensured that there is now a growing collection of children’s storybooks available in Tiv.
She skillfully assembled ASb Approved Translated Tiv storybooks into Volume 2, 3, 4 and 5 for 2-5 primary classes. She has enriched the books by adding in spelling exercises and comprehension questions, thus enhancing their pedagogical value in Tiv language studies classrooms and thereby making them more useful as supplementary readers.
The books are published in both booklet and slide formats. Book 3 for instance, is a 63-page collection comprising of three ASb story books translated into Tiv: Ijende I Jaki vea Dwem (Donkey and Hyena), Ijen (Famine), Inima Saa sha Tar: I ii un Ga (Why Ajao Was Not Buried). Book 4 is a 61-page collection of three translations, Adun, kwase u doonashe, Ishange Kon I Kiriki and Udoon Ishima while Book 5 is a 66-page collection of three translations focusing on the treacherous habits of the hyena, Alom vea Dwem, Dwem man Bagu and Ivo man Ishom I Dwem.
All the collections are colourfully packaged with the original ASb illustrations. It is hoped that these wonderful collections of African Storybooks will support teaching and learning in the Tiv language in every primary school in Benue State and that lots of children will be stimulated to read even more stories on the African Storybook website www.africanstorybook.org.