NAN-H-114
Language
By Taiye Baiyerohi
Lagos,Feb.16, 2016 (NAN) The Centre for Black Arts and Africa Civilisation (CBAAC) on Thursday said that organising regular inter-school language competitions, debates and quiz would promote the use of African indigenous languages among students.
CBAAC’s Director-General (D-G), Dr Ferdinand Anikwe, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos prizes and awards should be given to winners of such competitions to encourage others.
He said that this suggestion was to prepare owners speakers of indigenous languages ahead of what would happen in 2019 that the United Nations had declared as the international year of indigenous languages.
NAN reports that the United Nations on Nov. 22, 2016, at the 55th meeting of the 3rd Committee of the General Assembly, adopted the resolution on the “Rights of indigenous peoples”.
The resolution stressed the urgent need to preserve, promote and revitalise endangered languages, and further proclaimed 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages.
It invited UNESCO to “serve as the lead agency for the Year.”
NAN reports that the meeting drew the attention of its member states to the critical loss of indigenous languages and the urgent need to preserve revitalize and promotes indigenous languages at the national and international levels.
Anikwe said, “We the third world countries have more challenges in sustaining and reviving our indigenous languages because of the viral nature of colonialism.
“ This has distorted the growth of some of these languages but prevented some of them at infancy.
“ I call on Nigerians to organise as many competitions as possible before 2019, and give the winners awards and scholarships so as to gear them to speak our indigenous languages.
“So that by 2019, we will have minimal work to do,” he said.
The D-G also said that it was pertinent to encourage the use of these indigenous languages as they would have their contributions to human development.
According to him, this would be revealed when the ideologies, philosophies and historical imperatives hidden in those languages were unveiled.
“These indigenous languages will have their contributions to human development when the ideologies, historical imperatives, philosophies, wise sayings hidden in those languages are unveiled,” he said. (NAN)
PTB/BOLA/PAD
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Edited by Bola Akingbehin/Peter Dada