(Opinion) Amadioha has lost his tongue

By Chukwuebuka Ibe

The first incision occurred in the early years of colonial rule. This was the first fall of a once boisterous, illustrious, adventurous and knowledgeable Igbo civilization. These years saw the Igbo people surrender their Chi’s to the foreign gods of their colonial rulers. It was the loss of traditional worship systems and the gradual adoption of Christianity and western education systems in Igbo land. The loss of a people’s language is far more disastrous than it might seem on the surface. Language is more than just an aspect of culture; it is an agent in which culture gains its social context and significance. That is you can walk like an Igbo man, talk with the Igbo accent, but once you open your mouth to say “gud mornin ma”, that makes you as English as the Queen of England. The language you speak determines the way you think, and the way you experience the world around you. People who speak completely different languages should experience the world in different ways.

Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow, in an article released on Global Policy Forum titled ‘Languages are fast disappearing’, explains language to be an agent that does not merely represent a culture, but a contributor to that culture. From vocabulary to poetry, oral traditions, greetings and humor, are substances of that culture and not just vessels of communication. The loss of a people’s language is a loss of the thorough understanding of their value systems, systems of beliefs, organization methods, and a debilitation of her fundamental truths.
The second wave of incision came in a different form. This time, it was genocide hidden under a metanarrative which was the Biafra war of 1967-1970. The Biafra war and the pre-war crisis saw an alarming rate of loss of lives of our young Igbo men and women; the people who were meant to carry Igbo land on their backs and break grounds in the future. The killing of Igbo youths crippled the future of the Igbo people and limited their potential in more ways than can be lucidly expressed.
Although these episodes of our history have slowly faded from memory, their outcomes have come to shape the present day and the Igbo man’s place in it. A significant effect these episodes have in shaping the Igbo man’s future is the slow but sure generational loss of the Igbo language. Studies conducted by the UNESCO have shown that 6000 languages are expected to disappear by the end of this century, and Igbo is definitely an endangered language and must be closely studied. This can be attributed to colonialism and the Biafran war as stated above and partially because of the Igbo man’s subconscious effort in his own destruction. With the gradual loss of the Igbo language, our people have doomed themselves to lose a mass of cultural wealth and the ancestral knowledge embedded in it. This article takes you into the home of an urban Igbo family of the 21st century and explains the systematic debilitation of various aspects of the language.
The story starts with Kaka, my great-grandfather, and he was indeed a great man. Although I never had the privilege to meet him, I know everything I possibly can about his person. There was no day of my childhood that went by that I did not hear his praises. He was beloved by his community and his Kin. He was wealthy both in materials and in social relations. Growing up, I thought of Kaka as the ultimate Igbo super hero. The most fascinating story I ever heard of Kaka was from my father. As we had one of our usual father son discussions, my father decided to speak to me in Igbo proverbs, which left me completely dumbfounded. He looked at my face, and told me that was the exact expression he had when he was in the presence of Kaka, his grandfather. My father told me, there was no day he was with Kaka that he did not learn a new proverb, and gain a new profound insight about life and her beautiful sadness. When it was time for Kaka to name my father, it was yet another proverb, Otuanyifurundu, the way you see life. How this is a name is completely beyond me, but it speaks magnitude of Kaka’s value systems , and more importantly the values of the demographic he represents.
It took me a long time to understand the depth of my father’s comments, but by understanding it now, I can tell a brief tale about the old Igbo order. The true Igbo man, no matter how wealthy or well-off he is, is a man of thought and sober reflection. He is a man of a thorough understanding of himself, and the land he holds and never takes life at face value. He always seeks to share the knowledge he possesses especially with the younger generations. He is a man of tales, proverbs and parables; because these are the words that add flavour to the language we speak. The Igbo pride is not merely in her dances, and her prowess in natural and human resources, but also in her intelligence and her philosophy. Kaka’s tongue was Igbo, his mind was Igbo, and most importantly, his thinking was Igbo.
My grandfather’s story is a bit different. Fortunately, I got the chance to experience him in person and with all confidence, I can say he was a great man in his own right. His life was enigmatic, and he was respected by all who knew him. My grandfather barely received any guests aside from his brother and best friend, Pa’Demi whom I love and respect so much. As a little boy, I hung around them eaves-dropping into their every conversation, trying to make sense of the words they spoke as I sought Pa Demi’s attention. He was very fond of me. I sat around their feet trying to figure out what they were saying as they spoke fluently in Igbo. As I hung around them, they sent me on errands and asked me some questions about school, but they always did this in English as they both had a firm command of the language. In addition to this, I never did recall them speaking to me in proverbs like my great grandfather did to his grandson, my father. It was clear Igbo was not just their first language but their mother tongue. It was the language they spoke at home, and amongst their kin and most likely the language they thought in.
One thing that interests me a lot when I look back in retrospect is the decision for my Grandfather and his brother to speak to me in English instead of Igbo. Although they will often openly criticise me for my lack of command of the language, they did so in English. Both men had very prestigious careers in law and education respectively. I often wonder why they put little effort in me learning the language from them. Was this because they were aware of the fading place of the Igbo language in the colonized Anglophone Nigeria? Did they realise to be successful in the new order, Igbo was not necessary? Did they not speak to me in proverbs because they believed little in what the proverbs could teach me, and had more faith in the western style educational system? Did they trust my parents to impart the knowledge into me? I can only ask questions for all the answers have been taken to their eternal peace. None the less, they are still very much worth asking.
My parents’ generation in my opinion saw a pivotal change of the direction of the culture, and the influence of the Igbo language on her people. If the trends are closely observed, this generation was educated on western ideals and beliefs through missionary schools and the capitalist economic system. They are about the same age as The Nigerian Federation. They are old enough to know about the political and socio-cultural struggles of the country and in many instances, they were victims of such struggles. They have been disillusioned by the idea of a national identity and have been dissuaded through the Biafran war that the aggrandizement of culture, her language and her values can only lead to crisis and fail to see the benefits of it. In the process, the Igbo culture has been relegated to the position of a “good idea”, and not a necessity of life. It has been trivialized to simply traditional weddings, and occasional ceremonies that are now only symbolic, and their true meanings slowly forgotten as her language is. In the process of leaving behind her cultures, values, and languages to accept foreign standards and ideals they have created institutions that suppress nationalism and promote western ideals. On a more personal level, the Igbo culture has a huge stake in my household, but the language does not. The family structure respects my father as the head of the family although the home is very egalitarian. My father thought me how to address my elders and serve his guests like a true opara must. I learned the Oji ceremonies and I could smell the aroma of akara and other traditional meals from a mile away. My mother is always very respectful to her husband but at the same time fully independent and very brave. All these aspects of the Igbo culture are present in my home but it is important to note the house hold language was English.
Although my parents speak the language very fluently, it was not the language we spoke around the house. My parents always threatened to destroy the TV and tried to enforce the language, but they never really did. My father and his siblings speak the language fluently amongst each other and also to their mother. It was the language they spoke growing up in their household. In watching the trend, you will notice that this generation has not only lost the Igbo proverbs, they have also lost the language as a household language. Although they keep the values of the culture, the loss of the language will limit the understanding of the children on what it truly is to be Igbo. This incident is not unique to this family, but can be noticed as a trend in many Igbo homes in the country. It would be extremely difficult to find an Igbo child who speaks Igbo better than their parents, but so easy to find a child who speaks English, the language of the imperialist, better than his parents ever could.
The next trend in this very sad loss of the Igbo language can be found in my Uncle Lusty’s generation. These are people from ages 23-33. They are our university undergrads and post grad students. They are the people who make up our labour force, and create the middle class. They fill up the night clubs on Saturday nights and churches on Sunday mornings. They are a significant aspect of the Nigerian and the Igbo society because they are the sustainers of culture and they decide what the next Phase of Nigeria and her Igbo population will look like. Simply put, they really are the future! A particular attribute of the Igbo speaking people of this generation is the unique style of the language they have developed. Their version of the language is very peculiar because of the amount of influence the English language and culture have on it. I call this the Urban Igbo culture or Engl-igbo. This generation is present in mainstream media through icons like Flavour Nabania, the highlife crooner and Phyno, the indigenous Igbo rapper. Some popular lingo amongst this generation will be “ baby Oku” or even shortening a name from Chukwudi to Chuks or Chukkie. This version of the language has lost so many words and expressions which have been replaced with English alternatives. It has English as its core, and Igbo as peripheral. It is the English mind, speaking through the Igbo tongue.
On the surface, this could be seen as a harmless attribute or even modernization of the Igbo language, but its real meanings cannot be fully understood at surface level. This is a struggle not just of the tongue, but of the Igbo mind. Amadioha, the symbol of the free will of the Igbo people has been trapped in a cage and is struggling to be free. It is an internalized battle of culture versus modern day system. Although it is fast, pop, and cool, it is extremely odious and degenerate. The new Urban Igbo culture is a product of a generation raised with English as its core and Igbo as a peripheral. This generation was brought up in a society that treasured western ideals and saw them as structures of development and symbols of success. Their interaction with western pop culture has influenced their ways of thinking and expression. They tend to have strong connections with their local polities, and they could also participate in local ceremonies this is also the language of trade in local Igbo markets. I fear for this generation, the ceremonies they hold are more traditional and tend to be aimed at preserving the culture rather than rekindling the actual meanings behind their social activities and traditions. They are keener on accumulation of economic wealth and are completely engulfed with the western gods of capitalism and democracy.
And then you have me, the young patriotic boy with dreams of a renewed and prosperous Igbo land. I can easily write 3 000 word long essays discussing how much I love my people and critically analyse the loss of my language, but I cannot even speak it. I am a disciple of a generation of Kedu-ers and Odima-ers, and I am very ashamed of it. Most of us can get past primary conversation Igbo, and some others can understand a large amount, but sadly that is all we have to offer to our people. The reason for this is self-evident, my generation has fallen victim to a chronic loss of the Igbo culture and language. There is more pressure on us by our parents, and society to learn French and Mandarin in the place of our own local dialect. When my parents left home to work, I was with my two best friends DSTV, and Enid Blyton novels for company and inspiration. The lack of a cultural stake in the media gave my siblings and I no other option but to indulge in the pleasantries of the foreign media. Now I know better, I often wish my parents had raised me with the language whether I appreciated it then or not. My mother often coerced me to study, forced me to eat my vegetables and drink milk. Why not also beat me to speak Igbo?
Although there is a loss of the tongue in the household, an even worse epidemic occurs in schools, especially privately owned schools. The secondary schools curriculum is built to ostracise, and demonise the Igbo and other national cultures and languages. First of all, the language of communication in the dorms and classes is English. Queen’s English to be precise, spoken with the finest diction and articulation, that is, the colonial tongue. We are trained to get rid of our accents, and speak “polished English” forgetting that our accents are beautiful, and inform our person. We read appalling Igbo literature, and it only makes Igbo students despise our story tellers even more. I can vividly recall a conversation I had with my Igbo teacher who tried her best to make the content entertaining enough for us to stay awake. In the discussion, she stated limitations that had been placed on her by a board that only allowed her comment on particular aspects of Osu, Ogbanje, ilu-uwa, masquerades and other customs of my ancestors. She never mentioned the Biafran war or made reference to other writers like Chinua Achebe. If we cannot learn the language, could you please teach us about our culture and her greatness, please?
Lastly, you have my Kid brother and his generation. Still very young and naive, still in need of fostering and direction and I fear the same mistakes that were made with my generation will be repeated and amplified with this generation. He can barely get past Odima and is lost in the world of an even more accessible version of western media. To worsen the situation, my parents cannot even take him to the village in fear of kidnapping and other evils present. He is losing the tongue, and the experience of being immersed in the great culture and amazing people, and let’s not forget the early morning palm wine and Akara. He might never know my pride, or understand the festivals we celebrate. He might never know the masquerades to run from and those who are amazing dancers, and more importantly understand the socio-cultural implications of these traditional symbolic activities. It saddens my heart.
His generation is immersed in this western perception of life and is controlled by the hegemony of the western media. Why is this bad? By the time his generation comes of age, their minds will have been colonized by non-Nigerian thoughts, ideas, languages and principles. Although this generation has lost a huge sum of the language and culture, they can still be saved because of their young age. These are the children that must be told, and learn our stories in different mediums, mainly through the technology available to their generation. They must be educated first from their homes, and the process of instilling culture and language must be fine-tuned in schools. If such a conscious effort is not made, I am afraid the tongue of Amadioha will be lost forever.
This begs a question, do the Igbo people remember what it actually means to be Igbo? Also, are we willing to take the necessary steps to free the greatness within us? Another important question we must ask is, will we allow this process divide the nation or strengthen our national and ethnic Identity? Finally, I leave you with a conversation I had with my grandmother (Mami) and my Father.
Mami: Chukwuebuka, Kae Ki me? Ahu o di gi…..
Me: Mami im fineoo, any din ma…..
Father : oo Chukky, I will talk to you Later Jisike.
Me: Okay, take care daddy.

…….and this is my Point exactly, Amadioha has lost his tongue!

Ibe, 20 years old, is a student of Political Science and Communications at McMaster University,Canada.