Widening the Horizon – The Challenges of Teaching Nigeria in the German EFL Classroom

Matz, Frauke; Rogge, Michael

Abstract

With the introduction of Nigeria as a new country of reference in 2018 for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at higher level, the German federal state of North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW) has taken a bold attempt to widen the horizon of educators and students alike. While this fresh perspective offers new opportunities for global education, the respective regulations and descriptors might diminish its potential by giving reductive options of implementation from an intercultural perspective. This theoretical article critically examines the (problematic) intercultural and postcolonial approaches, which are currently suggested, and proposes three principles of teaching Nigeria in the context of transcultural, cosmopolitan citizenship education. A practical example of how to teach aspects of religious beliefs in Nigeria concludes this article.