ZIK GBEMRE SPEAKS ON THE NEED FOR NIGERIANS/AFRICANS TO BE PROUD AND MORE INTENTIONAL IN PASSING OUR LANGUAGES AND CULTURES TO THE NEXT GENERATION –

…THE NEW UK PRIME MINISTER (RISHI SUNAK) EXAMPLE

• Our African cultural heritage and languages are gradually being lost, on the decline and replaced with that of the White man.

• While the Indians and Asians have been able to retain and maintain their cultural heritage wherever they find themselves without shame.

• Parents, Guardians and Adults should take it as their responsibility to promote and propagate their African cultures, languages and religious beliefs… because everything about our culture represents our origin, this should be guided with all sense of responsibility…

Without us realizing it, Black African cultures, languages, religion and even self-worth have been on the decline, and practically being lost over the years and being replaced with that of the Whites Western world and the Asians. Now we have more regard to the English language than our own mother tongue. We regard speaking fluently in the English language as a sign of civilization.

Whereas, it is imperative for Nigerians and indeed Black Africans to embrace their indigenous culture and languages so to promote our various cultural heritage to the next generation. As such, parents, Guardians and Adults should take it as their responsibility to promote and propagate their African cultures, languages and religious beliefs. For me, civilization in Nigeria should entail an individual’s ability to speak his or her mother-tongue instead of their placing the Western culture over the African culture. We should recall that the English Language was only a borrowed language from the Western world, which was acquired by many Nigerians during the colonial era.

A professor of African Philosophy, Prof. Sophie Oluwole, once said that Nigerian political leaders and statesmen ought to have commissioned some indigenous experts to develop distinct indigenous languages alongside the English Language after the country gained independence in 1960. She said that such indigenous languages would have continued to project Nigerians’ cultural heritage locally and internationally. “This is because everything about our culture represents our origin, this should be guided with all sense of responsibility. We need to attach reasonable importance to our indigenous languages and culture to ensure our origin is not traded for anything. I want Nigerians to be proud of their origins and indigenous languages,” she had noted.

It is sad that today, some of our younger generations do not even remember what is required of them in their culture and tradition, especially as regards to the marriage institution. If you do not get married today in the church or the local government council registry, that marriage is regarded as incomplete and inferior. If you do not use cutlery to eat rice like the White man, it means that person is primitive, uncivilized, uncultured and outdated.

In my Ughievwen Clan/kingdom in Ughelli South LGA of Delta State, which is where I come from, the four Chieftaincy traditional institutions known as Ade (Olorogun), Ebor, Igbu-Otor and Igbu-Eshovwi are now labelled as fetish titles. But we forget that these were part and parcel of what makes our cultural heritage. And the so-called practices we have adopted from the White man, is actually his own cultural heritage and language. So why can’t we strive to preserve and spread ours to the rest of the world? Why should everything about the Black African be viewed and seen as inferior? It is simply because we are not proud of our language and culture. So why would others have any regard for it?

If Indians and Asians for instance, have persistently maintained and propagated their languages and cultures wherever they find themselves, what stops the African and Nigerian person from doing same?

Who would ever thought that today, there would be a British Prime Minister whose language and culture is rooted from India. Ultra-rich, young and the first person of colour to become UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak will also make history as the first practicing Hindu to lead the UK. I am sure many of us have seen the video being circulated online showing the new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, performing their religious rites with a live cow, without feeling inferior or doing something out of place.

In another picture, the newly elected/appointed British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, was seen performing his religious rituals right at the entrance of 10, Downing Street Westminster, London. If an African does this, he is going to be condemned by the same Africans that now practice foreign religions.

There was also a picture showing different removed shoes, flip- flops and slippers right in front of the door of 10, Downing Street. Which is typical of the Indian culture to remove their footwear while inside a house. The British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak was not ashamed when performing their religious rites. All of these tells us that these other nations that were also colonized by the British, still maintain and promote their cultural heritage wherever they are.

So, what happens to us as Africans? Why has the Black African abandoned every African culture and what makes him different from others? Today, Black Africans, especially Nigerians, must use and form the English or American accent when speaking the English language. If not, one is labelled primitive and uncivilized. Whereas, The Asians, Arabs and Indians don’t hide their accents when speaking the English language. But Black Africans must adopt the White people’s accent to say they have arrived, or feel important. The Asians are one of the most talented people I have seen in the world. But the Indians were colonised by the British, as it were in Africa. Yet, they still retain their culture, languages, self-worth, religions, etc.

What is wrong with Black Africans? Why don’t they free themselves from this mental slavery and be proud of their language, culture, food, religion, marriage, etc.? If one doesn’t attend church on Sundays, it means that person is a sinner. The Africans are even more of the Pope than the Pope himself.

As for our young people, especially the girls, they have to bleach their skin to light complexion colour, and wear different colours of wigs just to feel and be like the White people. They wear these white people’s hair, including Indian and Brazilian hair, just to tell the public that they are high class girls. Even some young men now plait their hair and wear ear rings like women. All of which were copied from the Western world.

With all the importation of foreign cultures, foreign practices and religions, how far are the African countries and Nigeria developing? What has all that ‘copying’ done to us as a people and race? The worst part is that Nigerians and Africans have not equally copied the good leadership and good governance of the white people. It is the things that will reduce and obliviate our cultural heritage and language that we Nigerians and Africans are copying from the Whites and Asians. May God help Africans, so that they will not one day become extinct as a people.

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