IGHOTAGO...

I am from the Western part of Africa, Nigeria to be precise. I grew up speaking my mother tongue so there was no struggle of finding a cultural balance, Having friends, neighbors and people from the same ethnic didvide as mine made communication easy so I am definitely fluent and deeply grounded in the Igbo culture. However, with Nigeria or Naija being a multicultural society, I have had to learn how to speak, relate with and embrace other cultures particularly that of the three main ethnic groups.

At this juncture, I must point out that Nigeria was once a colony of the British and this rubbed off on us immensely. Hence, despite the almost 512 indigenous languages, the English language is accepted as the official lingua franca and widely spoken like the Nigerian Pidgin, which is a modified version of the English language or best known as a Creole language. Thus, like every Nigerian child, I grew up studying, learning and mastering how to speak, write and communicate fluently, with little or no mistakes, in this foreign but vital language. Am I good at it? Well, this narrative is not about my knowledge and mastery of the English language rather it is about the near "unusefulness" of my excessive English language proficiency during some of my various trips and the impact it had on me.

I can still remember his facial expression as I explained where I was headed in my almost excellent English language. I was in a foreign land surrounded by many white people so I could not understand why the taxi man was staring at me like I was talking gibberish. Slow down Nikky, I reminded myself as I pulled out my phone to find the address I had saved the previous day. I was about to repeat myself for the umpteenth time when the man reeled out words which were alien to my ears without adding a single word of English. I suddenly knew it was useless to ask him; do you speak English because he was exasperated as I was exhausted. The shock I felt was intense when nobody around us could understand a word of what I was saying. It was at that point that my years of mastery and fluency in English dwindled and died a sorrowful death. 

It's been years and I have come to appreciate these people who, though they know other languages, would stop at nothing to ensure their language will never be watered down or overshadowed by a foreign tongue. I have also come to appreciate my native language and rich cultural heritage. We can probably blame being far from home for my recent eagerness to speak in my native language whenever the opportunity presents itself, but like Oliver Wendell Holmes, I am of the belief that language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow. It gives you a sense of belonging, helps to shape and strengthen your values and emotional well-being.

Do not get it twisted, being bi or multi-lingual is indeed laudable as it improves ones cognitive  functions, broadens your horizon and career/business prospects amongst other benefits. However, Africans especially ndi Igbo (people of Igbo descent), must strive towards ensuring that our language and cultural practices are not buried under the intense desire to sound or be foreign. We need to revitalize our fading prestige by developing our vocabularies and reconnecting our children to their roots especially during their formative years. This is a duty we owe ourselves and the future generations.  Our language is our unique identity and we must treasure it with pride.

Udo dịịrị unu (peace).