By Peter Moses
Abeokuta
Ogun state Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Muyiwa Oladipo, has called on stakeholders to revitalise Yoruba language and salvage it from going into extinction.
Oladipo made the call yesterday at a press conference to herald this year’s edition of Ewa Ede, a cultural programme, in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
The programme with the theme “Yoruba Culture and Heritage: A Priceless Gift To Humanity” holds at June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, on Sunday, and it is organised by Gbagede Ewa Ede Foundation in conjunction with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Oladipo regretted that Yoruba language no longer gets deserve attention as students and pupils of Yoruba extraction hardly offer the course in schools.
The commissioner, who said the “White now take Yoruba language as a course of study in higher institutions,” pointed out that “it is high time stakeholders came together to improve on learning and teaching of the language.”
He added that the state government would always support and welcome any programme that would not allow “our culture to die.”
“We have a role to support anything that would promote our culture and anything that would not allow our culture to die. We believe our culture must not go into extinction particularly our language.
“Ewa Ede, the name itself connotes beauty of Yoruba language. People don’t speak Yoruba that much nowadays. They don’t even study Yoruba in schools to the extent that now the Whites take Yoruba language as a course in the university.
“I hope and pray that a day does not come when a Whiteman would come to Abeokuta to teach Yoruba language. That is up to you and I,” he said.
Earlier, in her speech, the founder of the Foundation, Princess Adejoke Shomoye, aid the organisation had the intention to salvage the Yoruba language from going into extinction by targeting the younger generation.
