…As Emekesiri makes case for Igbo language to attain international status
ENUGU— Every year, August 9th commemorates the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. It is celebrated all around the world and marks the date of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in 1982.
As the United Nations proclaimed 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages, the Customary Government of the Indigenous People of Biafra, the Movement of Biafrans In Nigeria, MOBIN, and the Bilie Human Rights Initiative, BHRI, yesterday, came under one roof to commemorate the auspicious day in the coal city state of Enugu.
In his keynote address to mark the International Year of Indigenous Languages Day, Chairman of the pro-independence indigenous groups, Barrister Emeka John Chigozie Emekesiri noted that the aforementioned groups were registered in the United Nations as Indigenous Peoples Organization, IPO, regretting that the people have abandoned their language and culture to adopt that of the Europeans even as he pointed out that language is an essential element of people’s culture and tradition.
“We are one of the civil society organizations in the United Nations system. We are registered with the United Nations as Indigenous Peoples Organization (IPO) and have attained the ECOSOC status with three seats.
“With great pleasure we celebrate this Annual Event in which the United Nations accord respect to all indigenous languages in the world and encourages all people to develop and speak their native languages.
“Language is an essential element of culture. It is undisputable that when a people lose their language they will eventually lose their culture. Similarly, as can be evidenced by our colonial experience, when a people impose their language on others, they introduce their culture to the others through their language. Today, we have imbibed foreign cultures from the Europeans and the Americans because of their languages imposed upon us.
“But can we really say that the colonial masters imposed their languages upon us? No, we cannot say that. Rather, it is fair to say that the colonial masters introduced their languages to us and we loved their languages more than our own native languages. Today, some of us in the Igbo Nation find it difficult to speak fluently in Igbo Language and prefer to communicate more in English Language. This trend must stop,” Emekesiri posited.
Taking a stroll down memory lane, the pro-Biafra activist blamed the nonchalant attitude towards Igbo language on his school days’ teachers who shunned or punished pupils for speaking their indigenous languages in schools, saying the attitude misled and destroyed their love for the Igbo language.
According to Emekesiri, “I remember in the early 60s and 70s when we were in the schools and were forbidden by our teachers to speak in Igbo Language in the classrooms! Anyone speaking Igbo in the class was penalised and treated as a fool and unintelligent. With such mind-set, we grew up and taught our own children to speak English at home. So, right from our homes in the villages, our children grew up speaking English rather than Igbo Language. Those teachers in the 60s and 70s misled us and destroyed our love for the Igbo Language.
“Fortunately, the United Nations want all the indigenous languages of the peoples to be revived. It is the responsibility of the owners of the language to develop their language to international standard. Today, there are two major international languages recognised by the United Nations, namely, English and French, for business contracts and diplomatic negotiations. Other countries are working hard to get their own languages into the mainstream of the league of international languages. The Chinese, the Germans, the Arabians, the Russians, etc, are working hard to export their languages to the whole world.”
He, however, said that the Igbo-speaking people are at an advantage to revive and elevate the Igbo language to an international status as they live in virtually all the countries of the world, adding that the change in psychology must begin with making their indigenous names as first names before the English name.
“The Igbo people are at a vantage position to make the Igbo Language an international language because the Ibos live in all parts of the world. It is our responsibility to develop the Igbo Language. You must have noticed that I use the words, “Igbo” and “Ibos”, in different context, one an adjective and the other a noun. In Chapter 4 of my book, “Biafra or Nigerian Presidency- What the Ibos Want”, I explained the etymology and etiology of the Igbo Language and would like to refer you to the work already done on that subject.
“We must start from the roots. We must start giving our children only Igbo Names as First Names to change the psychological imbalance and confusion created by our colonial masters who imposed Foreign Names on us as First Names. Today, in the Igbo Nation, it is common to find such names as Mr John Chukwuma Njoku, Mr Oliver Chikere Okonkwo, Mrs Rose Oluchi Dike, Miss Justina Ifeoma Igbokwe, etc, always having the foreign names as first names. I recommend this to change immediately so that the Igbo Names shall be the First Names even if you want to retain your foreign names. Those names should therefore be transposed as Mr Chukwuma John Njoku, Mr Chikere Oliver Okonkwo, Mrs Oluchi Rose Dike and Miss Ifeoma Justina Igbokwe, etc, putting the Igbo Names as First Names. This has some powerful psychological effects on our indigenous identity.
“We are glad to hear that some State Governments in the Igbo Nation have made the Igbo Language compulsory in their schools. This is commendable and we request all other Governments in our land to do the same. We are everywhere in the world and can make the Igbo Language an international language if we work hard.
“The Igbo Language is our Indigenous Language being celebrated today by the United Nations along with other indigenous languages in the world. I call upon Igbo scholars to establish more NGOs to champion the development of the Igbo Language to international standard. Yes, we can do it,” the chairman concluded.
