In recent times there has been a lot of hues and cries about Igbo language and culture facing imminent extinction. To me I believe that those making such assertions are not far from the truth. But then again, it requires an extensive research to know how deep our Language and culture has been eroded. The problem mostly is that it is difficult in present times to find among Ndiigbo, dedicated academics who will make out time and do thorough research work like their predecessors. Pioneers like Professor Kenneth Dike, Professor B. N. Okigbo, Professor A. E. Afigbo, Professor Donatus Nwoga, Professor Emmanuel Obiechina, professor V.C. Uchendu, Professor Ben O. Nwabueze, F C Ogbalu and the rest did extensive work on Igbo people and their language and most of the information and data we have regarding Igbo today were works of these great men.

If Igbo language and culture is dying, we need to know what aspects, and at what rate it is being eroded. We need to have an idea of the factors and circumstances responsible for it. This is the challenge for present day Igbo academics. They have to create a dedicated group of experts to lead us in finding a way out of this seeming danger. It is also the duty of all the Igbo groups both at home and abroad to initiate some action and delegate experts to find solutions. These groups should be more proactive by looking inwards rather than concentrating mainly on political issues as if that will solve all the problems of Ndiigbo. In other words, the Ohaneze, WIC and the rest of such apex groups should prove themselves by looking inwards, and finding solution to the problems related to language and culture of Ndiigbo.

I want to make it categorically clear that I am not solely holding the above-mentioned groups as the only ones the onus of salvaging Igbo language and culture falls on, no, that is not the case. It is the duty of every Igbo person at home and in the diaspora. It is the duty of every Igbo parent to pass on the folktales, folk songs, history, moonlight games, and of course Igbo language to their off springs, for its perpetuation. The demand I am making on the Igbo academics is for them to create a solid ground for a worldwide campaign among the Igbo people on the issue. Stating clearly the facts with clear data, and warning about the disastrous result if something is not done, I believe this will motivate people into action.

Before I conclude, I will like to draw on the words of The Igbo erudite, professor Emmanuel Obiechina in his presentation during the famous Ahiajioku lectures  in 1994 in his lecture titled  ‘NCHETAKA: THE STORY, MEMORY, AND CONTINUITY OF IGBO CULTURE, 

“ The story is at the heart of  the understanding of the Igbo culture and the Igbo mind. It has been a mighty force for the conditioning of the personality and defining of a vision of life.  In the past the Igbo mother had been the custodian of the humanizing process that enable the Igbo child to absorb the values that prepared it for participation in adult complexities”. Then he added this note of uncertainty. “Now, we run the risk of losing this important formative influence, and I fear, this loss will lead to loss of cultural memory and an abandonment to a life of rootlessness”.

Today the fears this great Igbo mind envisaged over a decade ago has caught up with us, but one other thing the great professor did not envisage was the fact that, apart from Igbo culture dying from our inability to pass on simple but all-important things like stories that nurtured us, we have also failed to pass our mother tongue to our younger generation. As if these were not enough, we have, also with our own hands, and out of zealousness towards foreign cultures, destroyed a whole lot of our heritage, the symbols of our culture, our shrines, together with the stories, songs, music, musical instruments, poems, festivals and artefacts that go with them.

Taata kabu gboo, It is never too late.

http://griotradio.blogspot.com

Ikechukwu Ude-Chime 

Robot  Villager

# 1 In recent times there has been a lot of hues and cries about Igbo ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 18.02.2008 15:16

chiomah  JJC

# 2 yes it is! sad but true.read this... Thanks for writting about this very important topic.I grew up being spoken too in mostly English but at least I understood, so over time I have been able to brush up and can hold a decent conversation in my mother tongue (Igbo). There is a difference between ones mother tongue and ones first language. Though my first language is English is Mother Tongue is Igbo, and I dont play with it . I try and speak Igbo at every opportunity just to improve my pronounciation and vocabulary. I also ensure I speak same to my kids and when people hear me speak Igbo to my kids they usually express suprise and ask ."so you speak Igbo to your children?" and I am proud that my boys understand Igbo pretty well and speak some. Like you wrote its not bad when you see an Ishan peron who cant speak his own language but speaks fluent Igbo or Yoruba..but its a bit sad when someone born in naija can't understand or speak and Nigerian Language. Its even more heart breaking when I see my friend who speak their languages fluently purposely speak only english to their kids..Are we british? Nothing makes me prouder than seeing a Nigerian who is a pure aje and has gone to the top schools in the UK but speaks his/her mother tongue fluently. I mean I have cousins in houston who were born there have only been to naija once but speak Igbo influence so what excuse do those of us who have lived here all our lives have. I know I have been placing emphasis on the Igbo language but its not Igbo alone thats endangered. Like you wrote alot of the Northern languages are gone. I will give and example of a lady from Plateau that once worked for me, she claimed that her husband( a washer man) refused to speak their language to their children because according to him it was local. Instead he spoke only English or hausa to them. What also annoys me is how some people know nothing about other Nigerian tribes,I got so irritated as a student in OAU ife when people would ask " your name is chioma, are you calabar?" I mean you should know at least common names from the major Nigerian tribes. Below is a copy of something I wrote on my blog http://chiomamom.blogspot.com/ a few months ago. I watched living in bondage yesterday. It was interesting to watch the first naija home movie. It was funny to see how archaic outfits from the early 90's looked. Also, it interesting how the actors have all added a little weight and changed over the years. I also find it a bit sad that there are hardly any movies acted in Igbo anymore. You see the marketers of most Nigerian Movies(who are mostly Igbo traders) decided that acting films in English would be more profitable as it would appeal to a wider audience. Now though I understand that but why can't there be some films in Igbo. A lot of Yoruba and Hausa films are still produced and are doing really well. I just think my people (Ibo) have a complex; I mean we would rather speak English than our mother tongue. Its almost like we are ashamed of our origin. A Yoruba person will toast a babe in Yoruba but ndi igbo will say its razz. You can see a pure aje butter Yoruba person speaking fluently but my people ? even the one that can speak will form oyibo..My aunt was telling me how she saw a young ibo boy with his parents. She greeted the boy saying "kedu" (how are you) and the boy answered her saying my name is not kedu? This is a child born and raised in Nigeria. Please Ndi Igbo lets be proud of our heritage. The other day a comedian was saying that Igbo people can't say a sentence without putting a English word. Sad but true. Its only in Igbo land that you will see people greeting each other saying Good morn, Good aft or Good Efenin… (I just found out that good afternoon is osisioma; but who says that?). . This is a wake up call .Igbo people; our language is dying; don't allow anyone make you feel your language is inferior. I speak my language wherever its appropriate; and if people harass me I tell them to speak their own. I however think it is wrong when people start speaking one language when not everyone in the gathering understands it…as it could be rude. All Nigerians wake up too, it could happen to your language I have friends from Akwa Ibom who are purposely not speaking Ibibio to their kids; reason being that "I don't want her to have an Ibibio accent'; hogwash ..My mum speaks fluent Igbo and Yoruba .and when you hear her speak English their not a drop of any ethnicity in it. I have friends from plateau who speak hausa but have no interest in their own language (Hausa is spoken generally in the North but only a small percentage of Northerners are actually hausa). Personally I think every Nigerian should speak their tribal language and have a little knowledge of others (at least be able to respond to how are you or say thank you in several Nigerian languages) When I think of Welsh, Irish, Scottish and Latin; I think of dead languages don't let the same happen to our beautiful mother tongues. How many of us or/and our children can fluently speak our mother tongue?pls respond Posted by chiomah| 19.02.2008 22:53