That the University of Ibadan is a microcosm of a functional society, is a tale as old as the school. And as expected of every society, in this academic village, we sure do have village festivals where we lay our swords — albeit books — and revel in the marvelousness of our culturally rich community. One of these festivals is Jaw War, ‘the biggest public speaking event in the vast landscape of Sub-Saharan Africa’.
The premier event of the premier University, Jaw War, birthed in 2005/06 was established to revive Literary and Debating culture. In the words of Gideon Onah, one of the best debaters Africa has birthed, “The debate circuit remains the world in its caricature, albeit significantly so. It opens you up to coping with the complexity of the world”. The Literary and Debating Society, UI saw the indispensability of this culture and founded Jaw War, as a platform for oratory engagement for the various Halls and Faculties in the University. In 2014, Jaw War kicked off formally. While it may seem like yesterday to yesteryears’ leaders of TLDS, roughly a vicennial has floated away into the palisades of memories and another edition of Jaw War, tagged ‘Rise of Legends’, is almost over. What better way to appraise the latest iteration of this tournament than through our community’s fresh eyes, the Freshers/Freshmen?
The Fame Behind the Name
Jaw War isn’t just one of the biggest speaking events in Africa, it is one of the most renowned. The same way Lagos is for its beaches, Calabar for its carnivals and Northern Nigeria for its Durbar Festival is the same way UI is lionised for Jaw War. As a result, many freshers have heard about the tournament before getting into UI. Rahmat Ajibola, a fresher in the Faculty of Pharmacy who resides in Awo Hall, avidly looked forward to it. “I did hear about Jaw War before coming to UI and it has always been an event I look forward to attending. Funnily enough, I watched my first Jaw War highlight video as an aspirant live on Instagram”, she said, expressing the excitement and enthusiasm she had had as an aspirant.
While we might write this off to algorithms dancing to the tunes of her longing to gain admission into the ‘First and the Best’, Jaw War’s charm spreads way beyond the walls of UI or even the hearts of its aspirants to people not affiliated to the institution at all. “I had friends from home get in touch to ask why my school was trending,” Favour, a Veterinary medical student, testified. In recent editions, Jaw War has trended on Nigerian X (fka Twitter), the product of a coordinated mobilisation effort and unbridled interest among UItes.
What I Ordered vs. What I Got
Beginning the undergraduate journey comes with a lot of firsts. For some, it’s the first time away from home, experiencing the bittersweet feeling that comes with that freedom. For those familiar with the acclaim of Jaw War, there’s the experience of being in the famed New Faculty of Technology Lecture Theatre (NFLT), watching people do battle with the most powerful muscle in the body, the jaw muscle. Adisa Abiodun, an MBBS freshman, recalled the inexplicable feeling that swirled in him that day. He answers, ”Witnessing the biggest public speaking event in Sub-saharan Africa as a UIte definitely gave rise to a sense of pride in me, and it’s an experience I wouldn’t want to have missed for anything.”
For some, beyond the euphoria, it was the final goodbye to high school and whatever they called debating there, like Rahmat, who claims that the debating she witnessed in secondary school was subpar compared to the mastery she saw at Jaw War. The testimony of one cannot speak for the multitude, yet, Ogunkola Joanna reinforces this criticism, “The quality of the speeches was so high and different from what we had in secondary school“. Still, on the quality that was served, Adisa Abiodun opined, “The quality of speeches delivered by the debaters were miles ahead of the ones in my secondary school”. He added, “Each point delivered in Jaw War was backed by facts which shows that there has been thorough research and preparation. Even the delivery of each argument is superb”, commending the painstaking dedication it must have taken to deliver such mastery of speech he saw displayed.
Au contraire, some of us — freshers — felt like we ‘wasted money ordering undercooked food’ due to factors like time-wasting and the conditions in the hall. For time-conscious Favour who got to the hall on time, only for the event to start hours later, some of her excitement eventually metamorphosed into palpable frustration. Onoja Elakeche, an MBBS student, was disappointed at their [TLDS’] lack of organisation. “When the power went out, they didn’t have a backup plan, that was disappointing”. Rahmat chipped in here, saying, “They really can do better in terms of electronic facilities. I almost choked due to the high population and substandard devices to ease the air. So many sweaty people”, referring to the stuffy nature of the NFLT and Social Sciences LLT; complaints made severally. Martha, a Law student, objected to the quality of sound, saying, “The microphones weren’t efficient and didn’t effectively express the voices of the speakers”, defeating the whole purpose of the ‘Speak up’ in the event’s slogan”.
On the other hand, some were bugged about a perceived lack of transparency, like Joanna who “felt they weren’t so truthful about the scores allotted to the faculties”. Precious, a student of the Department of Biochemistry, hinted at this same issue when she complained about the ability of participants to pull out of the competition at any time. Even fresh-eyed students could see some of the kinks in the organisation.
Building Community through Campus Events
Admission into this academic village — the University of Ibadan — comes with being initiated into certain tribes – halls of residences, clans – faculties, and families – departments. To truly settle in, you must familiarise yourself with the people and culture and prove you are not a tourist but a true villager. One of the ways to improve that togetherness is Jaw War.
For Favour, “Chanting alongside other hallmates comes with a sense of belonging, like a full realisation that this is actually family. It was more profound in my faculty because we are busy. I heard that on one of the days, some classes held classes till 7 pm, but people still found their way there”. This was affirmed by Abiodun, who said, “Chanting in support of my hall with my fellow Tedderrites created a sense of belonging in me. It also brought me closer to some of my hallmates”. Needless to say, community is paramount in any setting. In halls of residence, building rapport with fellow hallmates is fundamental to surviving despite the terrible living conditions. In faculties and departments, you need people to hold hands lest you succumb to the pressures academics mount. You also need people who have gone ahead of you to guide you through the numerous potholes in campus terrains.
That is one of the prime benefits of recurring campus events like Jaw War. We lay aside our differences and preferences, assemble under an umbrella with a group of people and defend them against the world. It’s the chanting or the ‘banger’ posts like the ones Favant, a pharmacy student who resides in Kuti, flooded X with, and the memories and bonds these build, that matter and immortalise us in the end.
Looking Forward: Lessons and Ambitions
Knowing how experiences vary, the question is what exactly these first-time Jaw War attendees look forward to. Ameerah, from the Department of Chemistry, summarised her overall experience thus, “My experience was very nice because I learned how to build confidence, how to talk to a massive number of people, and I also learned some things that will be needed if I want to participate in a debate.” Ayinde Shukroh, from the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, says it was fun, educative, inspirational, and interactive – a fusion of qualities desperately needed in campus events.
With the finals coming up soon, members of hall constituencies in the finals just want to see their halls win. Others, just want better organisation and a well-conducted final, like Elakeche, who has been disconcerted by the inadequacies of the event. Through some others, the aim of the 2005/2006 administration of TLDS – building a culture of students actively participating in debating – will be achieved. “Joining Awo LnD next year would be one of the best decisions I’m about to make. Can’t wait to step on the real stage. The world isn’t ready for me”, Rahmat says, echoing the thoughts of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, and the first black woman to occupy said office, who said, “Speech and debate was an experience that I can say without hesitation was the one activity that best prepared me for future success in law and life”.
Gloria Nelson
