Chinagorom Nwafor
In an age where globalisation’s homogenising tide steadily erodes cultural diversity, the decline of indigenous languages represents a silent epistemicide—the gradual extinction of collective memory, identity, and worldview. While fluency in English remains an undeniable gateway to global participation, it must not come at the expense of mother tongues.Regrettably, many Nigerians, particularly young people, increasingly disavow indigenous languages, fostering alienation from heritage, community, and self.
The consequences of this linguistic abandonment are profound and twofold: social disconnection and identity crisis. Across Igboland, including Ebonyi State, a growing number of children are raised exclusively in English, severed from the linguistic roots of their ancestry. In prioritising “Western” speech as a marker of sophistication, many parents unwittingly deprive their children of cultural grounding. The result is often a painful reckoning later in life. When the call to reconnect arises—during festivals, rites of passage, or communal emergencies—these individuals discover that cultural fluency, once neglected, is difficult to reclaim.
Personal experience underscores the power of language as a conduit for belonging. During a visit to Anambra State, I initially lived in isolation despite being surrounded by people. It was only when I spoke my native dialect that doors opened—warmth replaced distance, strangers became kin, and hospitality flowed freely. At the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Convention in Abuja, shared language transformed unfamiliar faces into family. More recently, bargaining in my mother tongue diffused tension, earned respect, and secured a fairer price. These moments reaffirm a simple truth: language is far more than a tool of communication; it is a vessel of trust, solidarity, and identity.
Some may dismiss this argument as cultural romanticism or label its advocates “negritude crusaders.” I accept the designation without apology. Preserving indigenous languages is not an act of cultural nostalgia or resistance to modernity; it is an act of survival. Parents must teach their children both global and indigenous languages, for neglecting either is a mutilation of identity. Schools should institutionalise mother-tongue education, communities must celebrate linguistic heritage through festivals and cultural forums, and policymakers ought to legislate and enforce meaningful bilingualism.
Linguistic amnesia impoverishes societies. It hollows out history and fractures continuity.
Let the children of Ebonyi—and indeed Nigeria—speak the languages of their ancestors. Let identity thrive rather than fade into obscurity.
As the saying goes, to speak a language is to assume a culture. We must not allow ours to slip quietly into the penumbra of extinction.
