CAEPOCOM: Towards making case for the mother tongue

THE Centre for Applied Ethics and Political Communication in Africa (CAEPOCOM Africa) in commemoration of the annual International Day of Mother Tongue, which is celebrated annually on February 21, held an in-house seminar with the theme, “Mother Tongue as catalyst for transmission of Ethical Values.”

The event had in attendance key stakeholders, youths, scholars, researchers and people from the grass root who deliberated on how to revive the dwindling usage of the mother tongue in the country and on the African continent.

In her welcome address, the programme coordinator for the centre, Mrs Deborah Oluwole, stated that the centre had the vision of restoring ethical values in African societies.

Mrs Oluwole said values are embedded in the African language, while pleading with parents to ensure they pass their languages on to their children.

In her address on the theme, Dr Sharon Omotoso of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, highlighted the importance of the mother tongue.

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Dr Omotoso explained that the mother tongue is termed so because the first contact a child has is with the mother.

She, however, lamented the decadence of the mother tongue in today’s society, while highlighting that the mother tongue is an identity marker which should be the first language a child is exposed.

According to Dr Omotoso, “there is the need to rekindle passion for the mother tongue, and we should not forget that our ancestors who couldn’t speak other languages weren’t illiterates. They were knowledgeable and had their own vocabulary for everything.

“Understanding the indigenous language gives a sense of responsibility and connection and there are certain concepts that are better expressed in the mother tongue because they are value-laden,” Dr Omotoso said.

Other activities at the event included a poetry presentation and interactive sessions.

The project coordinator for the event, Mrs Geraldine Ezeobi, in her final remarks, summarised the meeting by affirming that all hands must be on deck in ensuring that the indigenous language is used in communicating values and fostering holistic development.

“However, this task should not be left for mothers alone, even though they are expected to be custodians of culture. Everybody in the society must come together to ensure that the mother tongue is appreciated and valued, and we can only achieve this by speaking our languages to our children,” Mrs Ezeobi said.