Igbo Nation:  Can we Become NdiIgbo Without Speaking Igbo? Since the beginning of European language imperialism, NdiIgbo – unlike other ethnic groups in Nigeria- have been indoctrinated into believing that the English language is the only language in which they can obtain power, prestige, and economic well-being. In consequence of such indoctrinations, many NdiIgbo have come to perceive the Igbo language as an impediment or an obstacle to their academic and economic progression. This distorted perception creates a threat to the survival of our native language. In fact, this threat to our ancestral tongue is so pervasive and ubiquitous that not only does it exist amongst NdiIgbo overseas, but also NdiIgbo in our homeland. While the other ethnic groups especially the Yorubas can still be identified with their culture and language anywhere in the world, the reverse is the case for Igbo nation.

Last year in Onitsha, a cousin of mine and a business man came back home and said to the son, “How is school, today?” and the son responded, “Daddy, your English is wrong”. My cousin gave his son some strokes of cane for the polite correction. Subsequently however, he continued communicating with the son in English believing that is the best option for his son to excel in his studies and be respected in the society. The nephews and nieces I have in Lagos have never spoken Igbo and are beginning to less understand that “foreign” language day by day. The picture of what will happen in the next fifteen years to Igbo language and tradition is so scary that we have to start crying out.

The Igbo language is threatened because it has been pushed aside in the quest for an English Education System. Igbo language is becoming less used as the medium of instruction in schools and it is rarely used as a language of communication by government. The erosion of the Igbo language is already apparent that Igbo children (who still speak the language) have a very limited vocabulary in their native language, with words being borrowed from English for which Igbo has an almost perfect equivalent. This erosion is likely to be connected to the depreciating value accorded to the Igbo language. Parents who speak to their children in English are really saying that Igbo isn't that important and that English is. Based on these observations, it appears that the endangerment of the Igbo language is a phenomenon that is prevalent among NdiIgbo, whether residing overseas or in our motherland.

As NdiIgbo attempt to construct cultural identity overseas or in Igbo land in Nigeria, they are encountered with the question of whether or not the Igbo language is an essential ingredient in constructing Igbo cultural identity. For this purpose, I pose the question: "Can we become Igbo without speaking Igbo?" In order to shed light on the above question, we must, first and foremost, understand the relationship between culture and language. One of these essential relationships as described by Professor Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, an African scholar and a Kenyan writer, is that "language is a carrier of culture." Specifically, language is embedded with the particularities of a culture, such as its values, norms, morals, philosophies, beliefs and ideologies which a culture develops and accumulates throughout its history. Thus, language is a collective memory bank of a people's experiences in history. Upon understanding this relationship, we begin to conceptualize the connection between cultural identity and our native language. In understanding and speaking our native tongue we are endowed with a sense of connection, commonality, and bond toward our cultural community. It is through these associations that we begin to completely identify with our native culture. This identification cements a sense of cultural dignity and validation. It also delineate a distinct Igbo cultural group.

If language is imperative and essential for constructing cultural identity, then how do we maintain our native language? The only way to save the Igbo language from extinction is bilingualism or the ability to master both the Igbo and the English languages. Recent studies in linguistics have provided evidence that proficiency in one's native language "results in more efficient acquisition of the second language," and that "bilingualism is associated positively with greater cognitive flexibility and awareness of language." These evidences suggest that it will be more beneficial to nurture children that are bilingual rather than monolingual. Have we ever though of setting up schools in big cities in Europe and America where our children will be thought Igbo language as part of efforts to save our identity?

Few months back, I was in the house of one of the “Igwe elect” of my town Nnobi in Lagos for a communal meeting as his 1st son was bout traveling back to US for his studies. We quickly bought a birthday card for the second son in US, signed it with good will messages – the trade mark of our culture. When the son of the “next” custodian of the Nnobi culture and tradition was asked to give a vote of thanks, he started in English but we all protested and insisted he must address us in Igbo language.  The boy in his early twenties who was born and grew up in Nigeria started stammering before his father (Igwe),asked that his son be allowed to address his kings men and by inclination future subjects in English. Shameful?

In conclusion, I appeal to Igbo parents to teach their children the Igbo language. In addition, we urge Igbo children to value their native language. The Igbo language is a precious treasure for it took our ancestors many generations to develop it. It has survived despite British colonialism, neo-colonialism, and language imperialism. It is our duty to keep it alive for the next generation of NdiIgbo. It is better to open our eyes and say we do not understand, than to shut our eyes and say we do not believe. The truth is that Igbo language and culture is fast being eroded just as erosion eats up our roads, houses and farm land in south eastern Nigeria. If our language is to live our children must speak it. So again, I return to the question: "Can we become NdiIgbo without speaking Igbo?" You decide for yourself. Although at the present, English appears to be instrumental to our economic well-being, our ancestral language is still vital to our cultural and psychological survival. Let us not be the generation that will delete this "collective memory bank" from our children's psyche. “Blinding flashes of lightening, means an impending storm”. “If you neglect the pot, it boils over and extinguishes the fire”. Those were the sayings of our fathers and I know they are not happy with the current cultural erosion in Igbo land.

Churchill Okonkwo
Maryland
Churchill.okonkwo@gmail.com

 

Robot  # 1 | 01.09.2007 04:32

Igbo Nation: Can we Become NdiIgbo Without Speaking Igbo?Since the beginning of European language...Read the full article.

akuluouno  # 2 | 01.09.2007 04:42

The Rt Hon Churchill, the son of Okonkwo, May I be permitted to say Mba, Mba, Mba to your suggestions. Inability to speak the Igbo language does not make any Igbo man less Igbo. Look at Jesus, Our Lord and Saviours's language or instance, many of his kith an kin do not speak it today, but that does not make them less Jews. The world is dynamic, in constant flux and rapidly globalising. Igbo language cannot cope with the speed with which technology and globalisation have brought new things into being. While the experts keep working at that, I do not think that Igbos should remain static all in the name of a non-dynamic language and culture to boot. Progress we must make or else we self-destruct. We cannot tie towels around our groins today nor allow our women to work in Abuja only dressed in Jigida.:cool::cool: Let us not exhbit threats akin to the famous Obeledu shrine which warned that if he does not impregnate a man, women will not learn to be respectful (fearful) of him.:D:D:D:D

truthsayer33  # 3 | 01.09.2007 06:07

Dalu So(thank you) for your very timely write up.The fascinating thing is that Igbos are great linguists.See them master Hausa and Yoruba....I live in the UK and my children are fluent in English,Japanese,Spanish and Russian but cannot converse in Igbo. Now for practical advice: There is a 'Learn Igbo' CD-ROM on sale at Amazon.com. Igbo language Nollywood films with English subtitles make good birthday presents and can help transmit the message that the language is alive.

overdryv  # 4 | 01.09.2007 06:12

akulouno, I want to point out a very big hole in your reasoning as regards Ibo not being able to cope with globalisation and technological advancement. This reasoning smacks of someone on a mission of racial suicide. Only a black man who has been brain washed would reason this way. You are in essence telling us that all african languages should go under since they cannot cope with the pace of science. I am saying this because Hausa, Effik, Yoruba, Twi, Swahili, and other african languages could never be used to interprete quantom physics and space mathematics. You also goofed by saying that some people of your lord Jesus Christ no longer speak his language and they remained jewish. These diasporan jews who have lost the language never did so out of their own volition. They were forcefully ejected out of Palestine several centuries ago. In Israel of now, I doubt if there is any returnee who would not want to integrate by studying and speaking Hebrew. In the present circumstances, we are talking of Ibos in the present day Nigeria who forbid their children to speak Ibo at home. When we talk of the demise of the Ibo language which would happen sooner than later, some people are too mentally deficient to comprehend it. They would tell you that in their villages and hamlets, people still speak Ibo. But what would happen when the villages become urbanized and these villagers are no more? I would illustrate my point with the Orkija shrine. When the present priests die, it is very likely that the shrine would cease to function because the youths who would have taken over from the elders would prefer to pursue western education.This is akin to what is happening now in Europe when some parishes face imminent scrapping because the youths are no longer interested in becoming priests. We must accept it for once that the downturn of the Ibo language is a direct fallout of colonialization on one hand and the sojourning nature of the Ibo on another. Closely attached to colonialism, is the Ibo's acceptance of western religion. When you accept a foreign religion, you lose a whole gamut of your culture which includes linguistic aspects. That Ibos are found in the remotest corner of the earth is known to every one. When you leave your roots, you don't expect your offsprings to master your language. This is why I find it laughable when Ibos in places like Sweden and Finland organize cultural parties to imbibe their culture in their kids who are mostly of mixed parentage.Its also on record that only Ibos give their children Yoruba and Hausa names in Nigeria. The only way out for Ibos is to take up the study of Hebrew since they claim they are from Israel. Then they could have succeeded in acquiring the language of capitalism which fits them as traders. It is high time they faced the truth that as long as you neglect your religion, go to church every Sunday, you have no way of surviving as a people.

Amy  # 5 | 01.09.2007 06:37

While I applaud the author's well written piece, I think he asked a wrong, and frankly, irrelevant question as our igboness is a direct result of our pedigree (lineage) and little else. That said, the very fact that our cultural identity is derived from our language (Igbo) is pivotal to understanding why ndigbo must as a matter of urgency formulate strategies aimed at consciously preserving our different Igbo dialects, especially through Igbo writings and verbal communication in the language. Just as a beautiful face does not deserve a slap, it is unnatural that a good proportion of Ndigbo carry on as though all is well with our senseless attitudes towards our beautiful language that encapsulates our worldview and cultural heritage. A member of my kindred the other day was like, "What is igbo?... it is English our children desperately need to survive in today's world. They can certainly do without igbo." Bear in mind that this individual spent most of her life in the village before traveling out of the country simply through the sheer stroke of luck. Today, she is so enamored by the Whitman's world that igbo langauge is viewed as an irrelevant detail. To compound the matter, even the English sef dey hard am to speak and yet she wants to do away with the language of her birth. What a shame that many of us are not ashamed to disown our native languages in public. It is the uncritical acceptance of English language, a colonial legacy, as the ideal substitute for Igbo language that has brought us to where we are today as a people tottering on the verges of losing our various dialects as the younger generation of Ndigbo refuse to do whatever is required to speak our native dialects. Sadly, many including some of us here, confront this crisis of identity that Ndigbo face with levity as though it is a completely rational disposition to adopt. Igbo langauge remains the invaluable guide to our history, traditions and worldview. Acquiring a balanced self consciousness and being proficient in igbo language are not antithetical to dynamism, therefore, I disagree with the labeling of Igbo language as non-dynamic and the notion expressed here that somehow Igbo language can not copy with the rate of globalization. Experience from other nations paint a different picture. India and Pakistan both share our colonial legacy having been colonized by Britain and yet they have managed to preserve their indigenous languages proudly while excelling in English language proficiency as well. I believe at the very minimum that Ndigbo possess the ability as an intelligent race to retain two separate languages and still retain the ability to function effectively in a global environment. In fact, if anything, being bilingual or even multilingual places us at an advantage, any which way we look at it. The slavish imitation of the West and the uncritical adoption of English language as superior to Igbo (which is exactly what we are implying when we refuse to teach our kids Igbo) is abhorrent in my view and reinforces a pervasive mentality of europhilia- the high valuation of every wonder from the West. Rejection of Igbo language and allowing it pass into extinction by the refusal to speak it is akin to self hate; an acceptance/internalization of the myth of the natural inferiority of one's language & cultural heritage. Ultimately, those of us that speak so loftily of the colonizer's language while disrespecting ours suffer from a false consciousness of who we are as a people. In answer to the author's question, while we do not lose our 'Igboness' just because we do not speak the language, it is impossible to grasp an authentic perception of our true identity as Igbos without grasping the very vehicle (language) that carries the full weight of our culture, history, collective mentality and worldview. We should be ashamed to say we are illiterates in our mother tongues while speaking the colonizer's language and not the other way round as is the case with many of the younger generation of Igbos- some of who feel it is undignified to be caught speaking Igbo in public. Wisdom demands that one should be ashamed of things that he/she ought to be ashamed of- one of which is the inability to write and read in one's native language. The educational system is partly to blame for the miseducation that have resulted in the sorry state of affairs with regards to indigenous language acquisition in Nigeria, particularly in Alaigbo. I hope we can begin to consciously swing into action and do everything possible to ensure we do not do away with a distinguished langauge passed unto us through several generations. That will be abominable, if Igbo is allowed to disappear as does a langauage somewhere every so often. Later o.

akuluouno  # 6 | 01.09.2007 07:19

Churchill, Truthsayer, Overdryv, and Amy, I have not noticed anything remotely connected with your Igboness from your names yet I know that u are my brothers and sisters. None of u bore Nkwaemeka, Udugwo, Mgbeke etc etc yet you can connect and communicate in any Igbo fora.:biggrin::biggrin: Now Igbonnes should not be reduced to just the language and other static elements of culture which cannot hold water in the year of our Lord 2007. I recall it was Ezeulu in Achebe's masterpiece, "Arrow of God", who warned that those who do not learn from the whiteman today will live to regret tommorrow. I am not saying that we should swallow all that is europhilliac hook line and sinker, nor do I subscribe to the notion that we should throw away everything Igbo like the proverbial fool who threw away both baby and bathwater. All I am saying is that Okonkwo should not make us have guilty conscience over the way globalisation has made us to raise our kids or threaten us like the Obeledu shrine "Okpomieodu". Igbotitude should be dynamic and ready to adopt all that is good in the 21st century world. Given the nature of the Nigerian state and the giant leaps in human civilisation, we cannot afford to be mirred in using towel to cover our groins and wearing jigida all in the name of culture. :icon_ques:icon_ques:icon_ques:D:D:D:D:D

Hamattan  # 7 | 01.09.2007 07:27

=overdryv;204266>akulouno, I want to point out a very big hole in your reasoning as regards Ibo not being able to cope with globalisation and technological advancement. This reasoning smacks of someone on a mission of racial suicide. Only a black man who has been brain washed would reason this way. You are in essence telling us that all african languages should go under since they cannot cope with the pace of science. I am saying this because Hausa, Effik, Yoruba, Twi, Swahili, and other african languages could never be used to interprete quantom physics and space mathematics. You also goofed by saying that some people of your lord Jesus Christ no longer speak his language and they remained jewish. These diasporan jews who have lost the language never did so out of their own volition. They were forcefully ejected out of Palestine several centuries ago. In Israel of now, I doubt if there is any returnee who would not want to integrate by studying and speaking Hebrew. In the present circumstances, we are talking of Ibos in the present day Nigeria who forbid their children to speak Ibo at home. When we talk of the demise of the Ibo language which would happen sooner than later, some people are too mentally deficient to comprehend it. They would tell you that in their villages and hamlets, people still speak Ibo. But what would happen when the villages become urbanized and these villagers are no more? I would illustrate my point with the Orkija shrine. When the present priests die, it is very likely that the shrine would cease to function because the youths who would have taken over from the elders would prefer to pursue western education.This is akin to what is happening now in Europe when some parishes face imminent scrapping because the youths are no longer interested in becoming priests. We must accept it for once that the downturn of the Ibo language is a direct fallout of colonialization on one hand and the sojourning nature of the Ibo on another. Closely attached to colonialism, is the Ibo's acceptance of western religion. When you accept a foreign religion, you lose a whole gamut of your culture which includes linguistic aspects. That Ibos are found in the remotest corner of the earth is known to every one. When you leave your roots, you don't expect your offsprings to master your language. This is why I find it laughable when Ibos in places like Sweden and Finland organize cultural parties to imbibe their culture in their kids who are mostly of mixed parentage.Its also on record that only Ibos give their children Yoruba and Hausa names in Nigeria. The only way out for Ibos is to take up the study of Hebrew since they claim they are from Israel. Then they could have succeeded in acquiring the language of capitalism which fits them as traders. It is high time they faced the truth that as long as you neglect your religion, go to church every Sunday, you have no way of surviving as a people. Overdry you have clearly demonstrated the identity crisis prevalent among some Igbo people of today. After taking on Akuluouno and finding big holes on the issue of igbo language and globalization/ technology, you went further to use the word laughable to qualify the efforts of Ndiigbo in Finland to teach their children Igbo language. At the end you concluded that the best solution is for Ndiigbo to start learning Hebrew. EJIKWAM OGUO! For your information and as a point of correction, Ndiigbo in Finland did not organize cultural parties to imbibe Igbo culture to their kids, I wonder where you got that from, What they do is to raise their kids to know Igbo/Nigerians culture so that they do not have identity crises in the future, and this is done through a well organised regular children club fully supported by the government of Finland. For you to turn around and refer to this effort by concerned Igbo/Nigerian parents as laughable makes me wonder what exactly is your point. :confused::confused::confused::confused:

WayoGuy  # 8 | 01.09.2007 07:41

Knowledge of, and ability to speak, one's native language, is, without doubt, one of the many ingredients that give a person his ethnic identity. But note my qualification of the previous statement with "one of the many". It is not the only, and it is not the primary, ingredient. My father disagrees with this position. This is one of the few times on NVS that I wish I were not wearing a mask. The urge to use my name and tell some personal stories is overwhelming because my father, 78 years old now, is here with me on a short visit from Igboland. My father, who is my teacher and my encyclopedia on Igbo culture and traditions, disagrees with the position that I stated in the first paragraph above. He insists that the ability to at least speak (even if one cannot write) one's language, is the primary measure for membership in any ethnic group. My father speaks and writes Igbo and English fluently. He speaks Efik, having lived with the Efik before the civil war. He understands some Hausa just from the long presence of the Hausa soldiers in our town right after the civil war. He has been a teacher, a local 'pharmacist', a trader, an accidental police man, and a major official and community leader during the Biafran War. It is his background that he cites when he insists that the answer to this author's question is: yes, you have missed the primary test of Igboness if you do not speak Igbo. He belongs to what I call the ancient conservatives. You should hear my father engage in long academic arguments with me on this issue. In contrast, I am more progressive in my view. I think that knowledge of the Igbo language is just one, but not the primary ingredient. I am closer to the view of Akuluouno, who was the first person to post her comment on this thread, that there is more to being Igbo than the language. I am deliberately reluctant to list the other ingredients because my position is one of inclusiveness as opposed to my father's restrictiveness. I will simply ask the wise to were ire gi guo eze gi onu (count your teeth with your tongue).

Son of the Delta  # 9 | 01.09.2007 07:47

This is not just an Igbo issue.Nigerians as a whole should struggle to keep all of our languages alive.This is and should remain a key part of our heritage. I do strongly believe that an Igbo or any other Nigerian that cannot communicate in the person´s mother tongue has lost much of the person`s identity if not all.Proper steps should be taken by national and state governments,traditional institutions or organizations to preserve languages across Nigeria. In the future we should also make learning a Nigerian language,the history and culture as a pre-condition for giving foreign citizens long term visas and working permits.

akuluouno  # 10 | 01.09.2007 07:51

Wayo, Wayo, Wayo, Please greet ur lovely father amd may his days be long on this earth. You have spoken and may the threat of Okpemiodu not make u shiver at all. My mother who told me the story also added that the toothless shrine has not succeeded in its threat of impregnating a man. Maybe u will incorprate this tale in future Wayotreatures. Having said the above, we should watch out lest those who bamboozled foreign teachers with wayo tales to earn their PHDs on Igbo culture spin tales that may not be danceable in the 21st century. If only language makes a culture then ur good old father is not only Efik, he is also Hausa and English because as a policeman, he must be fairly versed in that. A baboon was recently reported in Saturday Champion newspapers as having tried to rape a lady nurse in Ondo State, that does not make the baboon a rapist or does it.:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

---

The conversation continues in our forum. Click here to read all comments

---