Group advocates for pride of place for Yoruba language

The Yoruba Studies Association of Nigeria (YSAN) has reiterated the need to upgrade the functionality of Yoruba language, so as to ensure it takes its pride of place amidst other languages, now that the social media rules the world.

Professor Oluyemisi Adebowale, the National President of YSAN stated this while delivering her welcome address at the Association’s 2016 National Conference, held at at Afe Babalola hall, University of Lagos with the theme: ‘Yoruba Society and The New Media’.

According to the scholar who doubles as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Adekunle Ajasin University, the protection of speaking, writing and culture of the Yoruba people is so germane.

She also raised the eyebrow on the dressing malaise amidst the Yoruba youths, stating that nudity is averse to Yoruba culture and language.

“We want to promote it amongst scholars and sensitize the citizenry to know what obtains in the global village”.

She noted that “the greatest challenge is the loss of interest for the speaking and identifying with the language, governments also are not helping the matters.

“Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo languages used to be compulsory at the senior secondary level, but things and policies have changed, it is no longer compulsory and so the number of students, candidates offering this language have reduced drastically.

” It pains us because it is also affecting the institutions because the number of applicants for the language is decreasing and we are not happy about that, we have made efforts on this, even to the Minister’s table, but we were not taken seriously for it was only the Yoruba scholars angling for it, we are looking at merging force with the Igbo language president and Hausa to put up a strong paper for consideration by government for a review”.

Professor Rahaman Ade Bello, Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, who was represented by his Deputy Professor Duro Oni noted that using the Yoruba language and the other Nigerian languages as the medium of teaching and impacting knowledge is quite beneficial to the wards’ academic future.

“Let’s start teaching the little children in the Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa languages once they start going to school, it is language they ought to be taught with, those taught that way will excel, the rhymes in Yoruba encouraged academics, we need to resuscitate this.

“Even when you teach them English language, using Yoruba as the medium of expression like Professor Babs Fafunwa and Ayo Banjo have proven to us the efficacy of that method, the products do much better. The culture of learning  one other language aside their language must be restored in our policy”.

The chairman of the committee of the conference, Prof. Oladipo Ajiboye, called all  those stakeholders on the need to ensure our children speak, understand and write Yoruba for even development.

Engineer Haruna Ishola Bako, the Baale of Shibiri Oto Awori LCDA, was quick to add that scholars and stakeholders should rally round and ensure that the Yoruba language and culture is not destroyed.

The keynote speaker at the event, Most Rev. Ayo Ladigbolu, Arch Bishop, Methodist Church of Nigeria, a retired cleric stated that the world is now a global village.

“We must be able to communicate not only with our immediate neighbours but our next door neighbour in America, Haiti, Australian, Ghana and wherever human beings are found and the language of new media is the language of computer, website, whatsap, Facebook and YouTube, we must learn and use those languages to communicate our culture, ideals, desires as well as our projections for  future.

“There is the need to produce materials in Yoruba language in the new media for them to be interested so that we won’t be left behind. All languages in Nigeria should embrace it so that you can gain from the benefit”, Ladigbolu said.

Source; TheNation