By Julius Alabi
Special Correspondent, Akure
Yoruba culture and tradition should not go into extinction, advocates the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Odunwusi, who says one way to save the language is for parents and guardians to teach it to their children.
He made the plea at the launch of a book Owe Yoruba (The Ancient Wisdom) in Akure, stressing that Yoruba language unites the South West and protects its culture and tradition.
Odunwusi commended the author, Olalekan Fabilola, for taking a giant stride where most Yoruba leaders never think of, and urged the regional leaders to contribute generously to encourage him.
Wife of Ondo State Governor, Olukemi Mimiko, reiterated that language is very important in society and parents should encourage their wards to learn and speak Yoruba in order to preserve it.
Her words: “I am always worried at the rate at which our language is dying by the day due to the insensitivity of some of our parents who reject their mother tongue and also prevent their kids from speaking it.”
She lamented that many Yoruba elites consider their language inferior to foreign ones and do not speak it in their homes let alone train their children to speak it.
Deputy Governor, Lasisi Oluboyo, expressed concern that the country did not learn a lesson from China which has developed because the people use their mother tongue in education and other transactions.
“We should ensure that Yoruba language does not go into extinction. Other people embrace their language, we should also be proud of ours,” he said.
Olalekan, an information technologist and computer scientist at Covenant University, Otta, Ogun State, said he is promoting Yoruba culture through divine inspiration.
He promised to use his computer knowledge to promote Yoruba language by transferring The Ancient Wisdom into audio and video discs.
He also announced plans to open a website to enable students and researchers solve challenges in their study.
Book launch Chairman, Sehinde Arogbofa, urged people in the South West to emulate the vision of Olalekan by promoting Yoruba culture and language without which the race could be forgotten.
Arogbofa, who has also written many books, said culture and language are vital to the development of any race, and parents and guardians should stop communicating with their children in foreign languages.