By Stella Obi
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Parents have been tasked with the responsibility of teaching their children and wards their mother tongue.
During the launch of the
Heartland Culture Awareness and Empowerment Foundation and Obiuno journal in
Lagos on Saturday, Chief Sunday Udeh, the President General of the Igbo
Speaking Community, decried the attitude of some parents who prefer to
communicate in the English language with their children rather than the native
language.
The President General of the
Igbo Speaking Community observed that children who grow up speaking only
foreign languages would have a poor grasp of their people's culture and
tradition.
Chief Udeh, who chaired the occasion,
called on everyone to help preserve, revitalize, and promote Igbo culture and
tradition.
In her speech, the Founder of
the Heartland Culture Awareness and Empowerment Foundation, Mrs. Chinyere
Chukwudi, encouraged the young ones to speak, read, and write the Igbo
language. According to Mrs. Chukwudi, the inspiration behind establishing the
Foundation was to promote the Igbo language, culture, and tradition.
Enumerating the aims and
objectives of the Foundation, she mentioned that the association provides a
forum for socio-cultural development, empowers the rural populace through
education, and promotes culture and legal awareness.
Highlighting the achievements
of the association, Mrs. Chukwudi stated that it has organized an Igbo quiz
competition for selected schools in Iba Ojo LGAs of Lagos State.
Commenting on the Obiuno
journal, Mrs. Chukwudi expressed the opinion that it will help to reawaken and
portray the rich culture of Ndigbo.
Contributing, Dr. Ebele Okafor,
a lecturer in the Department of Linguistics, African and Asian Studies, Faculty
of Arts, University of Lagos, called on all those of Igbo origin to promote the
Igbo language. Speaking on the Igbo Women Assembly (IWA), Dr. Okafor noted that
the organization, in partnership with the University of Lagos, will train 50
teachers for IWA Igbo School.
Reviewing the Obiuno journal,
the reviewer, Fidel Ozugha, stated that the magazine is very educative and rich
in Igbo culture.
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