WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2002
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 7A
Alternative language choice
Swahili can teach culture with words
By Erin Beatty
ebattey@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Words like "safari" and "Kwanzaa" and the expression "hakuna matata" are all part of the American lexicon now, but a KU Kiswahili lecturer said most people probably didn't know the words 'African origins.
She said that because the language used the Roman alphabet.
Jane Irungu, African and African-American studies lecturer, said she wanted students to know that Kiswahili, which is offered at the University, is not as difficult to learn as students might think.
it was an easy language to learn. Students are usually able to communicate and make presentations in the language during the first semester, she said.
hends Kikamba — also spoken in central Kenya — and speaks English.
Kiswahili, commonly called Swahili, is a language spoken by approximately 80 million people in East and Central Africa, according to the African Studies Resource Center. It's the official language in Tanzania and Kenya, and is widely used in several other African countries. After Arabic, Kiswahili is the most widely understood language in Africa.
John Nowak/Kansas
Like the majority of Kiswahili speakers, Irungu is a native speaker of a different African language. Her first language is Kikuyu, which is spoken by the Kikuyu tribe in central Kenya. A Kenya native, Irungu compre-
Born and raised in Kenya, Jane Irungu came to the University five years ago to teach Kiswahili. She says that smaller classes allow more personal attention to the needs of individual students.
Irungu is the only Kiswahili teacher at the University. Now in her fifth year at the University, she teaches all levels of the language — elementary, intermediate and advanced.
She said students should study other languages to become "international."
"I think it's important to learn other languages because it's not just learning words, it's learning cultures," she said. "It's like experiencing the world."
Malakai Edison, an Olathe sophomore majoring in Spanish and film, said he decided to take Kiswahili classes to take some time off from Spanish.
"We've celebrated Kwanzaa in my house since I was young," Edison said. "I learned to count in Swahili when I was five or six. My mom thought it was important for me to learn."
Edison said he enjoyed Swahili poetry and art and he planned to continue learning the language at the University. He also said he
wanted to study abroad in Kenya someday.
"The most important thing I've learned this semester is that you can't take culture away from a language," Edison said.
Edited by Nicole Roché
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Atlanta-based science firm makes move to Lawrence
By Kyle Ramsey
kramsey@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer.
Lawrence-area leaders gathered yesterday to announce that an Atlanta-based biological development firm would come to Lawrence, bringing with it about 40 jobs and a University of Kansas scholarship.
Along with $28 million in investment capital, the firm will pay an average salary of $47,000.
"We consider ourselves a prime benefactor of having a new life sciences company in the area," Provost David Shulenburger said.
In honor of Serologicals Corp.'s contribution to Lawrence's life sciences industry, a $2,000 annual
scholarship for a student in the life sciences will be established, Shulenburger said.
"The reason is to recognize the contributions this firm is going to make to this community." he said of the scholarship.
Shulenburger said he was unsure when the scholarship would be offered and whether it would be offered to undergraduate or graduate students.
Lawrence is near several slaughter houses, which provide the raw materials to create the facility's primary product. EXCYTE, a bovine-based stimulator used to boost cell production.
Serologicals Corp. chose Lawrence from 30 prospective sites, said CEO David Dodd.
is used in several disorder treatments, including rhumatoid arthritis and sepsis, Dodd said.
The University was part of the draw as well, he said.
"The return on that investment was $28 million," he said.
— Edited by Amanda Sears
"There is a commitment to build life sciences in that area of Kansas," he said.
Bob Marcusse of the Kansas City Area Development Council was on hand at yesterday's announcement. The last time he was in Lawrence finalizing the deal with Serologicals Corp., he received a $2 parking ticket after his 25-cent fare expired. He called it an investment.
Protests in Venezuela increase oil tensions
The Associated Press
CARACAS, Venezuela The national guard broke up an opposition protest with tear gas and rubber bullets yesterday during an escalating strike to oust President Hugo Chavez.
Chavez's leftist government calls the strike a coup attempt. It urged the millions of strikers to return to work and their leaders to return to negotiations on elections being sponsored by the Organization of American States.
Strike leaders said their action would last at least through Tuesday, but more
extensions were expected after the national guard chased away protesters and roughed up several journalists.The incident raised tensions in Venezuela, the world's fifthlargest oil producer and a top U.S. supplier.
Dozens of oil executives and their supporters, angered by the armed robbery of a top manager early yesterday, called a rally at the headquarters of Venezuela's state-owned oil monopoly Petroleos de Venezuela S.A.
Rafael Vargas, a top Chavez aide, said the government will not hesitate to crack down on protests.
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