Post by IrekeOnibudo on Jan 7, 2017 13:22:40 GMT
Author of Ede Yoruba ko Gbodo Ku (Yoruba Language Must not Die), Dahunsi Akinyemi, speaks on the threats facing the language, AKEEM LASISI writes
Dahunsi Akinyemi has been a language teacher for many years. He did this formally when he worked with some schools in Lagos and informally even after he bid the chalk, ‘Bye’. As a result, he is conversant with many books on the English Language, including the Lady Bird series and others that help in shaping the sensibilities of young people.
But something often puzzles him. This is the non-availability of Yoruba texts conceived and produced like the Lady Birds, in a way that can inspire Yoruba children to fall in love with the language. This reality, and the apathy that many members of the Yoruba elite have for the language, remains a source of head ache, if not a migraine, to him. Based on the experience of the Eruwa, Oyo State-born culture promoter, who is a graduate of English from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, the threat of extinction facing Yoruba is real.
It is thus not strange that, in the past few years, Akinyemi has devoted his energy to saving the language, which he believes is the soul of Yoruba culture and its entire being. Apart from having inspired a Yoruba magazine, his book, titled Ede Yoruba ko Gbodo Ku (Yoruba Language Must not Die), recently hit the shelf. He argues that it is time all hands got on deck.
“I decided to publish a unique book on Yoruba language because of the realisation that the language is gradually becoming endangered — if we go by UNESCO classification,” he explains. “I noticed that the majority of pupils in the primary and secondary schools cannot speak their mother tongue.
“How best can I get to these core target audience to let them know that it is necessary for them to have a language one (mother tongue) before the acquisition of a language two (another language)? The Yorubas will say, Eni to ba fe mu obo, o di dandan ko se bi obo, the person who will arrest a monkey has to pretend to be one. These children can only speak and read English language. To get to them, I decided to use English as my medium but I deliberately used a lot of Yoruba words, proverbs and idioms in the book though I have a glossary at the back.”
His experience in the course of producing the book that centres on languages of the world, the threats against the Yoruba Language, why English is the preferred code for many, cultural properties of Yoruba and ways out of the dilemma, he says it was far from being palatable.
His words, “Some of the elderly ones who were supposed to be custodians of Yoruba culture were answering my questions in English language! To make it worse, some of them even confessed that their use of the Yoruba language is no longer smooth. It was so bad that some of the children I interviewed cannot say, ‘E kaaro’ in their mother tongue.”
On the depth of the fear, Akinyemi is worried that, in the next 20 years or less, if efforts are not made, the Yoruba language may die. He is piqued that there are children born and bred in Lagos by Yoruba parents who cannot say, ‘Mo fe jeun’ (I want to eat) because the parents believe it is a sign of social status if children can speak ‘Queen’s English’?
“Another reality is our educational policy. Long before now, Yoruba Language was made compulsory for all students in the South-Western part of Nigeria. Whether you are a Science student or Commercial or Arts, you must offer the subject. Along the line, the government decided to make it optional and, before our very eyes, many schools do not even have it on their time table again.
“If the generation of parents we have now do not see the need to embrace the Yoruba Language, what will happen to their children and their children’s children? It is just a matter of time. If we continue the way we are going, the Yoruba language may die,” he explains.
To save the situation, he wants the Yoruba language to be truly made compulsory in schools — public and private.
He notes, “If the government can enforce it, no doubt, children will fall in love with it and there will be the urge to use it. Once this is done, authors of Yoruba books will have to rise to the occasion; children-friendly books must be produced. If we go by most of the Yoruba books on the shelf, you will discover there is a vacuum; children-friendly books are very few.
“Parents are the first teachers. Yoruba parents should realise that their children have the ability to understand and speak more than one language; so why limit their ability?”
Although the magazine, titled Kakakii Yoruba, published on the platform of the Centre for the Redemption of Yoruba Civilisation Arts and Tradition, which has Professor Sophie Oluwole as chairman, is facing challenges of patronage, Akinyemi has also completed a series, “ABD Fun Alakoobere” Book 1-3.
His other books include Things Your Teacher Never Told You and A Forest of Money Trees and African Moonlight Stories , co-authored with Ayodapo Oyelana who is based in America.
Dahunsi Akinyemi has been a language teacher for many years. He did this formally when he worked with some schools in Lagos and informally even after he bid the chalk, ‘Bye’. As a result, he is conversant with many books on the English Language, including the Lady Bird series and others that help in shaping the sensibilities of young people.
But something often puzzles him. This is the non-availability of Yoruba texts conceived and produced like the Lady Birds, in a way that can inspire Yoruba children to fall in love with the language. This reality, and the apathy that many members of the Yoruba elite have for the language, remains a source of head ache, if not a migraine, to him. Based on the experience of the Eruwa, Oyo State-born culture promoter, who is a graduate of English from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, the threat of extinction facing Yoruba is real.
It is thus not strange that, in the past few years, Akinyemi has devoted his energy to saving the language, which he believes is the soul of Yoruba culture and its entire being. Apart from having inspired a Yoruba magazine, his book, titled Ede Yoruba ko Gbodo Ku (Yoruba Language Must not Die), recently hit the shelf. He argues that it is time all hands got on deck.
“I decided to publish a unique book on Yoruba language because of the realisation that the language is gradually becoming endangered — if we go by UNESCO classification,” he explains. “I noticed that the majority of pupils in the primary and secondary schools cannot speak their mother tongue.
“How best can I get to these core target audience to let them know that it is necessary for them to have a language one (mother tongue) before the acquisition of a language two (another language)? The Yorubas will say, Eni to ba fe mu obo, o di dandan ko se bi obo, the person who will arrest a monkey has to pretend to be one. These children can only speak and read English language. To get to them, I decided to use English as my medium but I deliberately used a lot of Yoruba words, proverbs and idioms in the book though I have a glossary at the back.”
His experience in the course of producing the book that centres on languages of the world, the threats against the Yoruba Language, why English is the preferred code for many, cultural properties of Yoruba and ways out of the dilemma, he says it was far from being palatable.
His words, “Some of the elderly ones who were supposed to be custodians of Yoruba culture were answering my questions in English language! To make it worse, some of them even confessed that their use of the Yoruba language is no longer smooth. It was so bad that some of the children I interviewed cannot say, ‘E kaaro’ in their mother tongue.”
On the depth of the fear, Akinyemi is worried that, in the next 20 years or less, if efforts are not made, the Yoruba language may die. He is piqued that there are children born and bred in Lagos by Yoruba parents who cannot say, ‘Mo fe jeun’ (I want to eat) because the parents believe it is a sign of social status if children can speak ‘Queen’s English’?
“Another reality is our educational policy. Long before now, Yoruba Language was made compulsory for all students in the South-Western part of Nigeria. Whether you are a Science student or Commercial or Arts, you must offer the subject. Along the line, the government decided to make it optional and, before our very eyes, many schools do not even have it on their time table again.
“If the generation of parents we have now do not see the need to embrace the Yoruba Language, what will happen to their children and their children’s children? It is just a matter of time. If we continue the way we are going, the Yoruba language may die,” he explains.
To save the situation, he wants the Yoruba language to be truly made compulsory in schools — public and private.
He notes, “If the government can enforce it, no doubt, children will fall in love with it and there will be the urge to use it. Once this is done, authors of Yoruba books will have to rise to the occasion; children-friendly books must be produced. If we go by most of the Yoruba books on the shelf, you will discover there is a vacuum; children-friendly books are very few.
“Parents are the first teachers. Yoruba parents should realise that their children have the ability to understand and speak more than one language; so why limit their ability?”
Although the magazine, titled Kakakii Yoruba, published on the platform of the Centre for the Redemption of Yoruba Civilisation Arts and Tradition, which has Professor Sophie Oluwole as chairman, is facing challenges of patronage, Akinyemi has also completed a series, “ABD Fun Alakoobere” Book 1-3.
His other books include Things Your Teacher Never Told You and A Forest of Money Trees and African Moonlight Stories , co-authored with Ayodapo Oyelana who is based in America.
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