The following item from the Lagos paper, This Day, was seen on AllAfrica.com at http://allafrica.com/stories/200612130558.html ... DZO
Nigeria: Author Wants Yoruba Language On Internet This Day (Lagos) http://www.thisdayonline.com/ December 12, 2006 Posted to the web December 13, 2006 Tunde Sanni Ibadan Concerned Yoruba leaders and artists, led by foremost playwright and artist, Prof. Akinwunmi Ishola have expressed worry at the gradual extinction of the Yoruba Language from homes and schools and called on parents and teachers to rise to the challenge. Speaking at a meeting of the Yoruba Centre of Excellence (YCE), held at the Oodua City Hall, Ibadan, recently, Ishola suggested the posting of the language on the internet in order to keep youths who are computer literate abreast of the culture and values of the tribe. The artist, who has featured in many indigenous home videos said unless conscious efforts are made at reviving the language, the culture and the norms of the tribe face the threat of being extinct from homes. He lamented a situation where most children of Yoruba origin hardly speak the language, a situation he blamed on parents whose interest are to raise English speaking families to the detriment of their native language. Ishola, formerly of the University of Ibadan, insisted that the responsibility of imparting language and culture was the parents' and not of teachers", adding that teachers' role is to complement the efforts of parents The don stated that educated Yoruba people have the onerous task of ensuring that the language does not go into extinction by encouraging its use among their children, right from home. "Many in this country think development is all about amassing wealth, chains of cars, houses and others but what about the development of the mind? If we don't have that one then all the wealth that we labour to amass will so be destroyed by the untrained minds of our children. It has happened to us once in this country but unfortunately we are towing the same line again" he said. He regretted the havoc that the use of English language has done to an indigenous language like Yoruba, stressing that western education has made many people to see their culture as idolatry while the white man's culture is seen as the holy one. "The worst of all these is the western religion which they have used to pervert our brains. In our churches, we have relegated Yoruba language to second class (status), whereas this is the language that was first spoken to most us parents of today from the day we were born. Now some are saying they are no longer descendants of Oduduwa but descendants of Abraham" he said. According to him, the only antidote is for parents to start speaking Yoruba language to their children at home. "It can be easy for our children because they can still teach them at school, but what of the parents? This is where the option of television comes in. We can use television to reach the parents and teach them our culture. We can also use the internet which has made the whole world a global village so like I said before, the educated parents of today are the solution to our language problems.We are in a changing world and until we learn to blow the trumpet ourselves, no one will do it for us", he said. According to him, Yoruba language is one of the 6, 800 surviving world languages today, he warned that it may become extinct if care is not taken. The chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Yoruba Tennis Club, Lagos, Chief Soji Smith had, earlier in the meeting, traced the threat of the extinction of Yoruba values and culture to foreign influence on homes and schools. He blamed parents for attaching less importance to the language and placing more importance to foreign culture and values. The convener, Prince Bambo Ademiluyi explained that YCE was not a partisan body or a political assembly. It is rather concerned about the fate of Yoruba culture and language in modern day. In its recommendation, the committee on sustenance and growth of Yoruba language, chaired by Mrs. Folasade Bolarinwa urged government to ensure that all schools in the country comply with the national policy on education which encouraged the teaching of major Nigerian languages in both primary and secondary schools in the country. It also wants government to recruit qualified Yoruba teachers to teach the language all over the country, especially in private schools. "We want government to encourage teachers of Yoruba language through promotions and good remuneration and also encourage students of indigenous languages by providing scholarship for them. We also seek the establishment of Yoruba schools in all Yoruba states in Nigeria and Port-Novo in Benin Republic, it said. Copyright C 2006 This Day, 35 Creek Road, Apapa, Lagos Nigeria or P.O. 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