- Chinese Proverb.
About two weekends ago, I had an epiphany.
I had this eye-opener while at the launch of an Ijaw book and audio book cd authored by Mr Ogonobenitari Alfred Egberipou who happens to be a retired Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning of old Rivers State, a former broadcaster in Izon language for Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation, Lagos. It was published by Mrs Oyintarela Ebiere Umeri (nee Diffa). Of course the invitation came from Senator Emmanuel Diffa, the publisher's father and it had my curiosity piqued.
On arrival at the venue, I was stunned to discover that members of the Ijaw community had come out en masse to support this laudible project which had taken all of six years to achieve. The publisher in making her welcoming speech painted a picture that I personally identify with; as well as a lot of members of my generation. Growing up in a home where her mother was a foreigner and father more eloquent in Yoruba than his indigenous language, she was clueless as to how to go about understanding her language, never mind speaking it. Years of sojourn in the United Kingdom did not make that enterprise any easier. In times where it is more fashionable and perhaps more commercially profitable to speak French, German or even Chinese, it's easy to lose sight of the rich heritage to be found in the different Nigerian languages.
In 2006, she commissioned the author Mr Ogonobenitari Alfred Egberipou to write Izon Fie, due to her personal desire to learn to speak, write and read her mother-tongue and to enable all other interested people to the same. She ensured that the commissioned manuscript is presented to readers in a book that is of international quality and standard. She also introduced the production of the first self-study Audio book CD of its kind in the Izon language.
Her 'testimony' and humble effort to ensure that her language remained relevant opened the floor for a lot of well-read and enlightened men and women to come out and air their different experiences with all concluding that rather than being viewed as a defeciency, the ability to speak one's indigenous language sort of completes you, identifying you as a proud Nigerian, a proud African.
I sat back there, sorrounded by these men and women who made known their agreement, dismay and support in Ijaw and I had an epiphany!
Now, let me clarify, I'm not Ijaw. I'm Igbo. I hail from a region where the people were renown to be fierce warriors. These days, we do not war but our fearlessness has had us making our mark in every industry in the country from public service to the academia to trade. And our language? Oh! Our language must be the language of the gods. It's rythmic nuances, the varied twist to the vowels, the incredible combination of words that is gauranteed to hold every listener spellbound and has carved a niche for us in the Igbo Kingdom. Just beautiful...
I love my language. I'm filled with pride by it. But... I cannot speak it to save my life! I end up not only murdering and mutilating the language but I have anyone else listening cringing and wincing in pain. Patethic! Disgraceful!
How can I claim to be a properly enlightened, proud and fierce Ohafia queen if I cannot speak my language? What do the certificates and 'achievements' matter if I cannot converse with a grandmother, or shy away from that uncle from the village because he would be hard pressed to understand the unintelligible gibberish which proceeds from my mouth when he comes to visit? How about the sheer joy of 'yarning' with your friends or siblings in your mother tongue? Or making clear and intelligent contributions at the Youth Association? Geez! I'm a long way off on that one.
I've noticed that this malady is one that plagues young people indigenous to the South-East. This 'phobia' when it comes to our language. It seems so 'uncool'. You could be accused of being 'razz' or too local. However, our brothers and sisters from the South and North, just as accomplished as we are, take so much pride in their language. It's so common to find in households from these parts that, the first language to be spoken is either Yoruba or Hausa before English. The reverse is the case in most Igbo homes.
A couple of weeks ago, I was in the market shopping when I came across this little girl who couldn't have been more than four or five years old. She was conversing with her grandmother in the most fluent and eloquent Yoruba. I was spellbound by that little girl. Infact, she challenged me to work on my Igbo even before Izon Fie opened my eyes to the fact that I was aiding in making my mother tongue obsolete.
Yes, that's right. Obsolete! If nothing else I've written makes any sense, how about this? According to research, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on Language Pluralism and Multi-Language Education predicted that the Igbo language and by implication, culture, may be headed for extinction, 'subsumed by other stronger Nigerian languages' if nothing is done by its speakers to ensure that it not only taught in schools, colleges and universities but also used as the language of official communication within the five Igbo speaking states - Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.
Frightening isn't it? The thought of your identity disappearing from the surface of the earth. The thought of assuming the identity of another. It would serve us right I think since we have this morbid fascination for other cultures; which is not wrong in itself, but not to the detriment of ours. The thought is more than a little sobering for me. I've also read up some rubbish under the guise of opinions and 'clarion calls' which typical to our nature calls upon Government, our leaders, even God to save our language from extinction! Our typical way of reasoning from our bottoms! When it's really quite simple. Charity begins at home.
For my part, I have embraced the stark truth, which is however well I may speak the language, I'm not English or American or French or German or Chinese. I'm Igbo, a proud heritage I must not be ashamed of. And so I've begun the mission of falling in-love all over again with my language and culture and doing my bit against extinction. Eloquent spoken Ohafia in a year? Do-able? Completely!
Light & Love
xx
Zenia.
