Igbo Leader Reveals Why Indigenous Culture Must Be Preserved

• The president-general of Igbo Speaking Community, (ISC) in Lagos, Chief Sunday Eze, has called for the preservation of Igbo
• Eze, who made the plea in Lagos on Monday, August 23, said that local languages must be encouraged in the schools
• According to him, some delicious and local delicacies which used to be enjoyed at homes are now being abandoned

Lagos - Chief Sunday Cyril Eze, the president-general of Igbo Speaking Community, (ISC) in Lagos state, has urged Ndigbo to ensure the Igbo culture is preserved.

Legit.ng reports that he urged the Igbo leaders and families to play vital roles in ensuring that the culture which is being threatened by cultural assimilation from the West is not allowed to die.

The Igbo leader made this known on Monday, August 23, at a meeting with Igbo leaders in Lagos, pointing out that decades ago, stories were told about school children being slammed with punishment for speaking the Igbo language in the classroom, while others are scorned for offering the Igbo language in school certificate examinations.

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Eze said:

"With this development, the speaking and writing of Igbo language started a slow but steady decline. Apart from the school environment, the language also suffers setbacks in other sectors of the Igbo nation.

“At home, parents no longer tell their children scintillating, entertaining and educational folktales. Many families don’t find it fashionable to speak the language to their children,” he said.

The Igbo leader said that it is unfortunate that delicious and local delicacies which used to be enjoyed at homes are slowly giving way to canned and continental foods, adding that local music and dance steps are giving way to hip-hop, reggae, rock, blues and jazz tunes.

Igbo language may go into extinction

He regretted that the downward slide of the language has continued over the years unabated and that the extinction of the Igbo language is imminent if the consciousness is not reawakened.

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The Igo leader said that leaders of Igbo extraction, families and opinion leaders should go back to the drawing board, look for programmes that will promote Igbo culture and start relating to the younger people.

Hw noted:

“The Lagos State chapter of ISC will ensure that the younger generation is not blown away with the wind of western civilization and cultural assimilation. We will begin to have programmes targeted at enhancing our culture.

“I will urge the government of the Southeast states to encourage more of such programmes started in 2009 by the southeast zonal office of National Institute for Cultural Orientation, (NICO) which organised a workshop on Indigenous Language programmes, to promote the speaking of local languages."

Anambra schools reportedly dedicate a day to Igbo culture

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that Nigeria is a country of different tribes with beautiful cultures and sometimes, the advent of western education seems to make all these fade to the background.

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It was reported that the schools in Anambra state seemed to have taken steps to preserve the Igbo culture and tradition.

A Facebook user identified as Agunze Azuka Onwuka shared photos of students in the state wearing uniforms sewn with the popular local Ankara fabric.

Source: Legit.ng