GENTRY: And now Great Arts at Eastern, from the Portales campus of Eastern New Mexico University. I'm Jeff Gentry, Dean of the College of Fine Arts here on KENW, Your Public Radio Network. Today my guest is Olayinka Sodunke, a graduate student in the Department of Communication at ENMU. Thank you for joining me today.
SODUNKE: Thank you very much for having me.
GENTRY: Now you earned your bachelor's degree at Tai-Solarin University of Education in Ijegun, Nigeria. Is that right? Ijegun Nigeria, and you worked in broadcast journalism there? But how did you find out about far off Eastern New Mexico University?
SODUNKE: OK, yes, I did attend Tai-Solarin University of education in Ijegun in Nigeria. And, yeah, find out about Eastern and had always known that I wanted to study abroad. My Masters' education and I was checking out schools in the U.S., Canada, and the UK. And I'll just searching online, and I found out about Eastern. Saw that Eastern was very affordable. And, but the main thing that I really got my attention with Eastern is the amazing communications program here because of the fact that there is a PBS and NPR Channel on campus. And I felt like it's going to be a great opportunity for me to be able to-. you know-. Do school at the same time and begin to get an experience of what it is like working in real-time in the American broadcasting industry.
GENTRY: Fantastic. And you would have been able to continue your broadcast career through-through the- the channels here?
SODUNKE: Yes,
GENTRY: So, when are you planning to graduate with your Masters's degree?
SODUNKE: I- yeah, I'm scheduled to graduate by Spring of 2023.
GENTRY: Fantastic! Alright, so tell our listeners Ole about your television program Eastern Tonight. Did producer Lonnie Berry come to you at the beginning?
SODUNKE: Yeah. In the beginning, Patricia Dobson was the one who reached out to me about that and linked me up with Lonnie and said, "we're gonna work together." So, we started last semester, and immediately when I heard about it, it was, you know, fantastic, and I said: "Yeah, sure I will jump in this."
GENTRY: Very good, so I'll tell me about the "What's Up" segment. Is that one of your favorites?
SODUNKE: Yeah, definitely, because we tend to talk about sort of like, luckily, alternative news excerpts. It's very, very funny. We just look for things that are hard in the news and just talk about it. And yeah, it's- it's my favorite segment of- of Eastern Tonight.
GENTRY: Yeah, quirky news. I guess you would call it. And how can our listeners find this Weekly program?
SODUNKE: I mean, it is on Facebook. If you just search for Eastern Tonight and also; it's connected to the Community- The Eastern New Mexico University, Communications Department. That we do have a Facebook channel, so it's also connected to that. So, it's through that platform you can get it also.
GENTRY: Right? Yeah, I think it's facebook.com/AllThingsEastern.
SODUNKE: Yeah,
GENTRY: Will take folks to Eastern Tonight,
SODUNKE: Yeah,
GENTRY: So not only are you on Eastern Tonight, but on February 17th, you will present The Perception of Americans on Africa with Isaac Yeboah. What are you going to be talking about?
SODUNKE: What we're talking about is going to be sort of like the perception, as you've said of Americans on you know Nigerians or people from Africa. Because you know me coming down to America so that you know it's pretty different. You know, the sort of ideas people do have about Africa, Americans, they have is pretty different. So, I've talked to quite a number of them, and I was like, OK, yeah, I think this is something I want to talk about.
GENTRY: Right. And we just don't understand in this country that there are 55 separate nations in-.
SODUNKE: Yeah,
GENTRY: -the continent of Africa.
SODUNKE: Yes,
GENTRY: It is the most diverse continent in the whole world.
SODUNKE: Yes,
GENTRY: And sometimes, though, we think of it as all kinds of being the same.
SODUNKE: Yeah, people do think that Africa is a country. I'm like no. I've heard people would see me and say, oh, I have a friend from Zimbabwe should name like. Zimbabwe, that's- that's far away. I'm from Nigeria and West Africa. I don't know what's open Zimbabwe as much. So, and yeah, quite a number of things. And some people do not understand the fact that we do have, you know, high-tech technology over there also. And it's not just people living in hot sand on trees.
GENTRY: Right. Fantastic, Well I'll be sure to be there. That's one I've got on my calendar. Thank you, Olayinka Sodunke, for joining me on Great Arts at Eastern. See Ole on Eastern tonight with new episodes added each Tuesday at facebook.com/AllThingsEastern. And he will present Perceptions of Americans on Africa on February 17th at 2:00 o'clock in the CUB, Sandia Room at ENMU. You can find all the Great Arts at Eastern at enmu.edu/FineArtsEvents. Thanks for listening on KENW, Your Public Radio Network.
The Perception of Americans on Africa
February, 17th 2022.
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Sandia Room, Campus Union Building, Eastern New Mexico University, Portales
Description: Many Americans think that Africa is a poor and war-torn continent. This presentation will consist of the studies, interviews, and research done by Isaac Yeboah and Olayinka Sodunke that will enlighten your perception of Africa.
Contact: African American Affairs, ENMU.AfricanAmericanAffairs@enmu.edu , (575) 562 2437