At the Houdégbé amphitheater on the Abomey-Calavi campus, the solemn celebration of the silver anniversary of the Titigweti English Club (TEC) was held this Tuesday, December 14. Coupled with the official launching of the group’s activities for the academic year 2021-2022, the said ceremony took place in a very sober festive atmosphere with an array of guests. Created in 1996, TEC’s mission is to be a world reference laboratory in the learning and practice of the English language. The organization aims to promote this language by using its members’ passion through different sections: debate and discussion, journalism, listening, reading, drama, stories and jokes. On this 25th anniversary, reflections are focused on: Education in volunteerism: a driving force for success. In other words, through volunteering, young people not only gain experience but also externalize their capacities for leadership and develop employability skills.
In her speech, the President of the mentioned club, Salima ALAGBE, outlined the values that the organization embodies. “At TEC, we are a family. A family where you not only learn English, but you learn more about yourself,” she says. And as in a community, every day does not necessarily go the same way, perseverance and tenacity are required to reach the objectives. “Over the years, we have experienced everything: successes and failures, ups and downs, celebrations and crises; but we have never given up. Today, as we celebrate our 25th anniversary, we are extremely proud to say that we are getting closer to our biggest dreams,” says Salima Alagbé.
The other striking feature of this celebration is the perfect mastering of the English language by all its members. In fact, all the performances were in English and all the members, without exception, speak the language of Shakespeare as if it were their mother tongue. This attests the discipline of the group in the various activities it undertakes. Titigweti English Club is a platform where students of the English department and other passionate of the English language are offered a framework to put into practice the theoretical knowledge they have received.
English, the language of opportunity
cake cutting for the 25th anniversary of TEC
“The English language is the key to accessing knowledge,” said Mr. Tajudeen Mamadou, former president of TEC and currently a doctoral student in linguistics in the United States. It is necessary to recognize it indeed, mastering this language opens up a wide range of other cultures. And when it is in the business world, it becomes the key that opens the door to knowledge. The doctoral student, who attended the event as an honorable member, used his own example to entertain his fellow TEC students. “I accidentally met and joined TEC in 2007 when I was on campus, but that accident changed my life,” he says. Thanks to his dynamism and his devotion to learning the language of Shakespeare, the young student at the time got his first job in an American institute represented in Benin “my first job,” he continues, “it is thanks to my mastery of English that I got it, and if today I continue my studies in the United States it is always thanks to the mastery of this language. Thus, English has become a reference in global communications and also in all sectors of activity. “In the fields of technology, computer science, medicine, biochemistry, communication and information; English is a must because the best documents in these disciplines are written in English,” confirms Tajudeen Mamadou, former president of TEC.
Although it is not the most widely spoken language in the world, Shakespeare’s language is the official language in 53 countries and is spoken as a first language by approximately 400 million speakers worldwide. Cake cutting, choreography, interpretations, dances, various testimonies, theater, everything to celebrate this 25th anniversary and the opening of the activities of Titigweti English Club which works to help its members to acquire a perfect knowledge of the English language in order to alleviate a little bit the problems of employment and employability of the French-speaking youth.
