Thursday, October 10, 2024 was the Opening Ceremony of the 2nd J.P. Clark International Conference hosted by the Department of English, University of Lagos in honour of the literary icon, Late Professor John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo.
Held at the Faculty of Arts Boardroom, under the theme: Decolonizing the Colonial and Postcolonial African Modernity, the event attracted students, scholars, and enthusiasts of the Literary Arts who gathered to discuss the legacy and works of one of Nigeria’s foremost poets and playwrights.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development Services), Prof. Ayodele Atsenuwa, represented the Vice-Chancellor at the event. She extolled the significant life of Prof. J.P. Clark which, according to her, “was expressed in his works and publications; and by which we are able to make sense of our own world today”.
The Dean of Arts, Prof. Akanbi Mudashiru Ilupeju, congratulated the Department of English for the continuity with which it has celebrated the works and memory of Prof. J.P. Clark.
Co-Convener of the conference and Wife of the late icon, Prof. Ebun Clark, appreciated the Department of English and the University of Lagos at large for the honour they have continued to bestow on her husband’s legacy.
Professor Hope Eghagha delivered a virtual Keynote Lecture titled: Disappearing Boundaries, New Intersections, and the Future of Literature. He interrogated the changing landscape of literature in the light of technological advancements and charged universities to embrace the change in order to remain relevant. He affirmed that “Literature can only survive if readership is guaranteed”.
The conference continued with a Plenary Lecture delivered by Prof. Ebun Clark and moderated by Prof. Patrick Oloko. It then broke into Parallel Panels, where conference participants made oral presentations of their submissions.
The 2nd J.P. Clark International Conference is scheduled to end on Friday, October 11, 2024.
REPORT: Isaiah Kumuyi
PHOTOGRAPH: Islamiat Akanni
