Article: How To Preserve Africa’s Languages

From http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/education/55972-how-to-preserve-africa%E2%80%99s-languages.html

How to preserve Africa’s languages
By KOFOWOROLA BELO-OSAGIE
August 2, 2012

As far as nine-year-old Jesse Iriah is concerned, she is not a Nigerian. And she may be right.

She was born in New York to a Yoruba mother and Edo father. She speaks only English. She knows a little Yoruba, though, at least she hears a bit of it when her mother speaks with relatives, but she doesn't understand what Ora, her father's language, is at all.

She is among thousands of school-aged children across the country growing up in homes where English is exalted above the mother tongue as the preferred language of communication.

Her kind are born to a generation of highflying comfortable young professionals, many of whose parents also maintained a similar language regime during their childhood.

However, renowned Kenyan author Prof Ngugi wa Thiong' O does not think such should be encouraged. His description of the practice as enslavement took on a whole new meaning for the audience at the Read Africa Launch by UBA Foundation at the UBA Headquarters, Marina, Lagos on Monday last week.

Read the full article at http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/education/55972-how-to-preserve-africa%E2%80%99s-languages.html