Africa: The Fading Use Of Indigenous Languages By Ogunjimi James Taiwo

“When an old man dies in Africa, it
is like a library burning down.” –
Hampate Ba
“Our culture has a rich oral tradition,
oral history, stories told from one
generation to another. But it is an
oral literature our kids will never
hear.” – Paulo Chihale
It is a disturbing fact that African
countries have embraced foreign
languages at the expense of
indigenous languages. As such,
traditions and beliefs that have been
passed on from generation to
generation are gradually going
extinct. Proverbs and stories that
served as moral lessons and
generational teachings have been
traded for the ‘fables of aesop’, Mills
and bones, etc, and foreign films
now serve as the instructor of
today’s children. Indigenous
languages have been labeled
‘vernacular’ or ‘gibberish’, and as
such, most African children and
youths in primary and secondary
schools are even punished for
speaking their mother tongues.
Students who pass foreign
languages well are revered, while
students who have high scores in
their indigenous languages are
looked down upon or called ‘local’.
Some governments help hasten the
death of some of our indigenous
languages by showing preference,
and school authorities also aid the
extinction. For example, in Sierra
Leone, a school principal punished
students who spoke Krio in school
and even washed their mouths with
soap. In some Nigerian schools,
students are beaten for speaking
their mother tongues or even fined.
Africa has more than 2000
languages, making her the most
linguistically diverse continent in
the world. The sad truth however is
that up to 300 of these languages
have less than 10,000 speakers and
37 of them are in danger of
completely dying out. The trading of
Africa’s indigenous languages have
led to today’s children feeling
ashamed of speaking their mother
tongue. Koome Kirimi observed,
“The world is ailing from an illness;
globalisation. The give-and-take
dynamics of globalisation have seen
African states give away more than
they’ve received. African states are
giving away their language, their
culture, their identity.
” Harris Garikayi gave his reasons
for the fading off of indigenous
languages as: “Indigenous
languages are slowly dying simply
because we Africans believe that
foreign languages are superior to
our local languages. English is
considered a language of prestige
and if you can’t speak
grammatically correct English then
you are considered to be primitive. I
believe we need to decolonise our
minds in order to take pride in and
preserve our languages.” The
colonial school systems in Africa
forbade the use of local languages
and the process continued with
those who took over power from
them. African leaders have failed to
re-ignite the love of our indigenous
languages in the heart of the people,
which actually defeats the purpose
of independence. Many African elites
have encouraged their children to
forsake their mother tongues and
embrace foreign languages because
they feel it proves they are civilised
people. We have been deceived into
believing that mastering our colonial
masters’ languages would usher us
into paradise and upgrade us into
civilisation.
The effect is that, many children and
youths can’t greet or sing in their
mother tongue. It is the
responsibility of parents to ensure
the survival of indigenous languages
by ensuring that they communicate
with their children and relate with
them solely in their indigenous
language. Enole Ditsheko reasons
that, “It is ideal that before a person
can claim authority in another
language through books and
interaction with teachers or in the
case of our children, through
multimedia platforms, he or she
should master his or her own
tongue.” If Africa is to stop its
languages from going into
extinction, there is the need for
urgent remedial steps to be taken,
not just by the government, but by
all families. The government must
allow the use of indigenous
languages in the school without
stigmatising those who speak it.
Pupils/students who excel in their
indigenous languages must be
showered with encomiums to serve
as encouragement to them and to
serve as a challenge to others.
Families must be encouraged to
relate with their kids in their
indigenous language. Children must
be made to understand and
appreciate their mother tongue.

Ogunjimi James Taiwo
Twitter: @hullerj