Let’s promote our language and culture

M ORE often than not, the indispensability of language and culture grows bigger each passing day. In other words, humanity cannot completely do away without making effective use of these seemingly inseparable social entities.

We continue to employ the social services of language in order to protect, promote the continued existence of our collective cultural heritage. For instance, our daily routines at the homestead are usually carried out with the expression of our culture. This ranges from local delicacies, the clothes we put on and, more importantly, the daily pleasantries between any household.

Within the six geo-political zones of Nigeria, the constancy and consistency of our language in relation to our culture remains unavoidable. The way we dress, eat and communicate depicts our collective cultural background. In fact, our diversity in all our cultural heritages speaks volume within the context of our culture.

By extension, our traditional names introduce and point the direction of our cultural background. Names such as Adewale, Oyetunji, Oyeneye, Ajibade, Adeyemo, to highlight a few, depicts the royal lineage the Yoruba emanate from. This is also true within the Ibo community with names like Ezenwa, Ezego, Ezenwanyi, Ezechukwu. The Hausas are not left out with names like Barkinzuwo, Mailafia, Maikazuwa, Dankano, Danmaraya even within the core sub ethnic groups like Niger State indigenes, names like Nnda, Ndagi, Ndanusa, Nna, Nnagi and others portend the different lineage one belongs.

The Durbar festival in the North which is common and prominent among Hausas especially during any sallah or festive period depicts our cultural heritage. The dress or regalia alone and the paraphernalia exhibit strength and candor in war front in days gone by. This, they uphold till date. Also, the Ofala festival by the Onitsha indigenes in Anambra state also expresses both the language and cultural background they tend to promote and uphold.

The annual Ojude Oba in Ijebu-Ode every 3days after Eid-el kabir known as Ileya among the Ijebus is also a celebration of culture and language among peer groups who often come out in their best traditional attires to portray their culture. The connectivity between language and culture is also often seen in our dance steps during the celebration of events and days among Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa.

In Delta and Edo state, the examples are numerous: the Bini culture, the Ishans, the Etsakos, the Itshekiris, the Ibibio, the Urhobos the list is legion. This is not peculiar to Blacks or African lineage alone.

The African-Americans whose forefathers emanated from Africa still have a distinction in their mother tongues. This brings about the seemingly vulgar tones in black populated cities like New York where we have predominant existence of blacks.

Above all, it is obvious that whichever divide one belongs, language and culture remain the proverbial Siamese twins that cannot be separated within any communication process as far as our collective cultural heritage is concerned.

• Oyeyemi John

National Museum,

Osogbo