Language is a cultural asset, as well as an identity that distinguishes one tribe from others. It is difficult to claim membership of a tribe without possessing the ability to speak its language. However, due to the growing cosmopolitan settlement of our towns, cities, and rural areas whereby people of different tribes live together, a lingua franca, mostly English language or its pidgin variant, is usually adopted as a common language for communication in Nigeria. The effect of this over time is that our proficiency in our various indigenous languages is lost, and worse still, our children do not even develop fluency in their mother tongue. This signals the gradual but sure route to the disappearance of the mother tongue.
According to the British Council, at least one language disappears or dies every two weeks. Moreover, a tribe is as good as non-existent if its language disappears. It is in recognition of the threat to the existence of indigenous languages, and the need to preserve them that UNESCO in 1999 adopted 21st February of every year, as mother language day. Furthermore, the United Nations has agreed that more work is needed to revitalise, protect, preserve and promote indigenous languages and has therefore designated the period 2022 – 2032 as the International Decade for Indigenous Languages. The theme for this year’s celebration is, “Using Technology for Multilingual Learning: Challenges and Opportunities”. The theme is justifiable since education is presently founded on technology. Thus, using the same medium could engender the preservation of indigenous languages. The need to espouse multilingual learning in Nigeria is apt in view of the need to preserve the about 525 indigenous languages in Nigeria, majority of which are at the verge of disappearance, if their preservation is not addressed.
It is however possible that with concerted efforts; we can preserve and promote the use of indigenous languages in Nigeria. For instance, a period for mother language could be introduced in schools’ timetable at the primary and secondary levels of our educational curricular. Despite the compositional mix of the classes, in terms of language and culture, this is doable. To achieve this, pupils/students could take home assignments each week, on specific topics for their parents to assist them. During the time slated for indigenous languages, the pupils/ students will be allowed a free time, to work-over, and discuss the topic, in an unregimented but recreational approach. This way, two results would have been achieved from the assignment; as the parents, and their children will, as a matter of duty, be committed to building and deepening proficiency in their respective mother languages, as well as preserving it in writing.
We at the National Library of Nigeria, have started an advocacy for the documentation of our family histories in indigenous languages. Our aim is to ensure that our history is documented, in the language of each family’s tribe. It is one of the eight-point agenda I set when I was appointed as the National Librarian by President Muhammadu Buhari in September 2021. That notwithstanding, the duty of preserving our languages is a universal responsibility for informal and formal educators.
Thankfully, technology has made it easy for us to tackle this situation. We can form virtual communities, starting from the family level, on the various platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp etc, and even prepare video clips where communication shall be exclusively in indigenous languages. It is hoped that with this reawakening, we shall be working towards realizing the desire of preserving each of the world’s indigenous languages, that very important asset and identity of our respective cultures. In commemoration of this important day, I implore each one of us to send out a message to at least five people, in your indigenous language, informing them that “today is the International Mother Language Day”. Afterwards, do remember to send out a different message in your language to another person, at least three times every day. That is a good way to start.
.png)
0 Comments