Colleges
Ndume Ibrahimu
AfOx -Lady Ademola St Hugh's scholar
MSt Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics, St Hugh's College
DR Congo
Ndume developed a keen interest in languages when studying Latin and philosophy in secondary school, where he examined texts of Latin writers such as Marcus Cicero. His education to date has focused on English and African Culture Studies and his present research examines the impact of code-switching (language switching) on minority languages in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
There are nearly 450 different languages and dialects in the D.R.C. However, a number of these languages have not been studied and are at a risk of decline. Ndume is one of the very few scholars in the country researching the evolution and changes occurring in these languages.
Ndume has worked on several linguistics-oriented research projects and is currently working at The Bukavu Higher Pedagogical Institute. Through practical experience of working at the customs office at the border between the D.R.C. and Rwanda, he gained insights into how people on either side of the border mix their respective languages to interact with each other.
Upon completion of his graduate degree, Ndume hopes to undertake interdisciplinary doctoral research on the languages in his country.