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Ako Edward Oben

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Ako Edward Oben
Born18th May 1951
Ossing village, Eyumojock Subdivision, Manyu Division, Cameroon.
CitizenshipCameroonian
EducationAtlanta University in Georgia, University of Illinois
OccupationAcademic Professor/Lecturer
Notable workMigration, Culture, and Transnational Identities: Critical Essays/American Literature: Periods, Trends, and Themes
TitleProfessor of African Literature

Ako Edward Oben is a Cameroonian academic professor and administrator. He has held several key positions in higher education, including serving as the rector of the University of Maroua until 2017.[1][2]

Early life

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Oben was born on May 18, 1951, in Ossing village, Eyumojock Subdivision, Manyu Division, Cameroon.[3]

Education

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His early education began at Basel Mission Primary School in Ossing, where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate in 1963.[4] He then attended Bilingual Grammar School, Man O’War Bay, earning his General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level in 1969. His academic excellence continued at The Cameroon College of Arts, Science and Technology, Bambili, where he obtained his GCE Advanced Level in 1971.[5] For higher education, he pursued a Bilingual degree in English and French at the University of Yaoundé, graduating with a BA (Hons) in 1975. Seeking further academic challenges, he moved to the United States in 1976, earning a Master’s degree in Afro-American Studies from Atlanta University, Georgia, in 1978.[6] His studies focused on African American, Afro-French, and Caribbean Literatures.[7]

Driven by his passion for literature and cultural studies, he obtained a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in 1982. During his doctoral research, he worked with renowned scholars such as Professors Owen Aldridge, François Jost, and Richard Barksdale.[8]

Career

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Oben has made significant contributions to education in Cameroon and beyond.

  • University leadership: he served as rector of the University of Maroua from 2008 to 2017, overseeing academic and administrative development.[9]
  • Higher education policy: as vice rector at the University of Yaoundé I, he played a crucial role in research and cooperation, strengthening national and international academic ties.
  • Academic governance: he was a technical adviser at the Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon, coordinating cultural and social affairs across multiple ministerial departments.[10]
  • International influence: he was elected First Vice President of the Association of African Universities, helping shape higher education policies across Africa.[11]
  • Mentorship and research: he has supervised over 20 PhD students and more than 40 Master's degree candidates, contributing to the academic growth of many scholars.[12]

Publications

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Notable works include:

  • "Migration, Culture, and Transnational Identities: Critical Essays" – a scholarly exploration of migration and identity in a globalized world.[13]
  • "American Literature: Periods, Trends, and Themes" – co-authored with Sarah Anyang Agbor and Manyaka Toko Djockoua, this book examines key developments in American literary history/[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Association of Commonwealth Universities | The University of Maroua". www.univ-maroua.cm. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  2. ^ "Prof Ako Edward Oben, Nominated to the Prestigious Chair an Interview Panel for the RSIF. | The University of Maroua". www.univ-maroua.cm. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  3. ^ "Knowing the new traditional ruler of Ossing Prof Teddy Ako – Cameroon Concord News". Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  4. ^ "Knowing the new traditional ruler of Ossing Prof Teddy Ako". Cameroon Intelligence Report. 2020-08-14. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  5. ^ "Edward Oben Ako - Biographie, publications (livres, articles)". cameroun.harmattan.fr (in French). Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  6. ^ "Attitudes towards whites in South African and Afro-American Poetry of the sixties and seventies, 1978". radar.auctr.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  7. ^ Ako, Edward O. (1986-09-01). "The African Inspiration of the Black Arts Movement". Diogenes. 34 (135): 93–104. doi:10.1177/039219218603413507. ISSN 0392-1921.
  8. ^ "American Literature - Periods, Trends and Themes, Sarah Anyang Agbor Edward Oben Ako Manyaka Toko Djockoua - livre, ebook, epub". cameroun.harmattan.fr (in French). Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  9. ^ "Enseignement supérieur au Cameroun: Ako Edward Oben : Un retour dans les campus". Enseignement supérieur au Cameroun (in French). 31 December 2008. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  10. ^ "Prof Ako Edward Oben, (PhD) – University of Buea". www.ubuea.cm. Archived from the original on 2024-11-04. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  11. ^ "Accra: Prof. Ako Edward Oben elected First Vice President of the Association of African Universities – Cameroon Intelligence Report". 2017-06-22. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  12. ^ "Knowing the new traditional ruler of Ossing Prof Teddy Ako – Cameroon Concord News". Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  13. ^ "Edward Oben Ako". data.bnf.fr (in French). Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  14. ^ "Edward Oben Ako - Biographie, publications (livres, articles)". cameroun.harmattan.fr (in French). Retrieved 2025-05-26.
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