Benjamin Nyong holds a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and Communication Studies from the University of Calabar, Nigeria, and a master’s degree in Linguistics from the University of Uyo. He serves as a consultant to the Oxford English Dictionary on Efik terms. His research explores the intersection between language and crime, language and gender, sociolinguistics, and sociopragmatics.

He is currently a doctoral candidate in African Studies at the Bassey Andah Institute of African and Asian Studies, University of Calabar. His PhD dissertation examines how semiotic resources such as symbols, rituals, performative acts, and other culturally embedded sign systems were deployed to negotiate peace and rebuild social cohesion among warring Bahumono communities in Southern Nigeria. The study aims to increase understanding of the semiotic potential of indigenous communication as meaning-making resources in conflict de-escalation.
 

The funding from the ANU Balzan PhD Fellowships is instrumental to the successful completion of his dissertation, as it supports comprehensive fieldwork and provides access to the rich library resources at the Australian National University. These opportunities will enable him to expand his analysis through both primary and secondary sources, thereby contributing new knowledge to restorative peacemaking by demonstrating how indigenous communication systems can foster sustainable peace. The fellowship experience will help him develop the scholarly skills required to achieve his goal of becoming an emerging voice in the discourse on language, crime, and peacemaking. He will have opportunities to attend conferences, present ideas, and receive constructive feedback that will improve his work.