Looking back and reminiscing about life. You would just do one thing and smile for your existence. Life has never been a bed of roses, but with hard work and all you would pull through.
Growing up from that part of the world was fun. I can categorically, say I might not have had all I ever wanted, but I am proud to say I lived the most interesting life. I can only do one thing, which is praying for My darling Nigeria, My route.
Let me take you all back to the world of ten ten, obi jaskolobi obi 1, suwe, war start , I'm going to, boju boju o, Ema weyin o, just to name a few. I can bet those were blast from the past
Children of nowadays have not experienced one quarter of the fun we had then. Now that the world has eventually turned into a gadget and computerized one. The world is so civilized now that all you see are kids gallivanting with iPads, smartphones, tablets and all.
The world is ever evolving, hence I understand the need to evolve and remain relevant, no doubt, but this has got me thinking and asking, What happened to the good old days? What happened to our culture, values and beliefs?
The bone of contention here is that no one wants to speak their native dialect to their children any more, of which the Yorubas are the most guilty. Even the ones born and brought up in Nigeria. English speaking has become a norm in most households which has left me wondering. Even though it is evident how it could be for families living outside Nigeria, for me it is still not an excuse and it's certainly not justifiable.I personally have perceived this my children do not speak or do not understand our native language syndrome more as a competition.
Let me be candid here, growing up, I always wished I came from an English speaking family. The way I rated and placed children whose parents speak English to them is out of this world. It was as if we weren't from the same planet. Gosh! I always wished I could be like them or probably, if my parents could just grant my wish and just have a sleepover there............If only wishes do come through...(No be only sleep over sef, was there ever anything like that back then) actually there was but I bet we don't call it sleepover then, we called it Holuday!!! ( Pronounced with a typical Yoruba accent, lol) I couldn't be happier and more grateful to my parents today for the upbringing I had.
Enough of all the preambles guys, this thought has been a very heavy one on my mind. Parents of nowadays have lost their values and believes in the ever evolving world. What happened to those brought up with speaking their dialect? Has it changed anything with their spoken English? Or does it mean they won't be able to speak English?
Trust me , I have heard so many stuffs like, because you speak Yoruba too much, you have H'factor, you have O' factor, you call kiss, kizz, television ..Telefision, if you listen to songs in your dialect you are razz, bla bla bla.......Helloooooo! My friend, if you are that type of person you better stop that!
Let us embrace our culture and be proud of where we came from. Either we act British, American whatever! It doesn't still change who we are. I can understand the idioms "When you are in Rome, behave like you are Roman, " but I can't just remember that part that says behaving like that till the end of your life! Don't let us lose it guys. No matter the journey we embark on, home is still where the heart lies and the sooner we realize this the better. Teach your children the basic and imbibe your culture in them. Speak their dialect often to them and see if they will respond or not. Let them know it's worth learning and it is as important as English. Learning their own dialect won't make them less important in the society, it is an added advantage if you asked me.
Comments