‘Poor reading culture affects patronage of Yoruba literature’

The guest writer at the fourth edition of Yoruba Lakotun, Kehinde Adepegba, has said the poor reading culture of the Yoruba, the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and late adoption of technology have negatively impacted on the reading of Yoruba literature, which has largely preserved the culture.
According to the author of Okele Akobu, Ogbon Ologbon, and Eku Eda, “the youth of this generation have unlimited access to materials online and they have deserted reading hard copies of the literature that have been published sometime ago. He tasked publishers to help writers by publishing the e-book versions of their books on various platforms and making it available to the global audience and increasing profitability.”
Adebayo Adegbembo, who developed ‘Asa’ app, said he and his team have been assiduously working on the preservation of the language through this app and are also working on other Nigerian languages, which are being accessed from other parts of the world.
Adegbembo’s words: “(The) Yoruba in Nigeria should not make the language lose its value because people from other parts of the world, especially those in Jamaica, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba and the Caribbean, look up to us at the core areas where the language is spoken and we should not let them down in speaking, writing, reading and listening in the language.”
The host of the programme, Olutayo Irantiola, mentioned the stride of the Lagos State House of Assembly, under the leadership of Mudashiru Obasa, which advocates that the Yoruba language be spoken compulsorily at both public and private schools in the state. This gesture will help the language to survive and it will also aid the restoration of the dwindling moral values in the society.
The well-attended event had language and cultural enthusiasts from corporate and social Nigeria in attendance.
Kayode Adewale was on the band stand dishing out music to the delight of those present.