Chime
Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State has called on the Church to collaborate with traditional rulers in the South-East to preserve Igbo language and culture from going into extinction.
Chime made the call at a symposium to mark the fourth edition of the 2014 Enugu Cultural Festival titled: `The Role of the Church in Promoting Igbo Culture, Language’, in Enugu on Friday.
The governor, represented by his Deputy, Rev. Raphael Nwoye, said that such collaboration would help introduce the gospel of Christ into some negative traditional acts.
He said the festival was part of government’s efforts to maintain and promote Igbo culture.
“We want to remind our children that we still have culture and traditions so that they can also imbibe them,’’ he said.
In a lecture, the Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Rt. Rev. Godfrey Onah, said the church was ready for the collaboration to bring in positive changes, especially in some harmful traditional practices.
“It will be a step in the right direction as such collaboration which will help introduce the gospel of Christ into some traditional acts.
“When the word of God comes into the tradition, it will help eliminate all bad and negative traditional practices to make it better and equitable,’’ Onah said.
Also, the Anglican Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Rt. Rev. Aloysius Agbo, expressed regrets that western languages were gradually eroding the culture and tradition of the Igbos.
Agbo called for the harmonisation of various Igbo dialects to help preserve the language.
“We have multiple Igbo dialects. There is need for us to harmonise and speak one simple one so that our children can learn very fast.
“The church must join hands together with the traditional rulers to see how we can promote Igbo language and culture to avoid its extinction,’’ Agbo said.
The Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Peter Ejiofor, called on government to enact laws to make communications and meetings in Igbo language in government establishments mandatory.
Some traditional rulers, who spoke at the event, called on the government to mandate schools, especially at the nursery level to teach children Igbo language.
The traditional Ruler of Ihe, Awgu Local Government Area, Igwe Goddy Ekoh, said that introducing Igbo language at the kindergarten would help children learn the language at a tender age.
The traditional Ruler of Akegbe Ugwu community in Nkanu West Local Government Area, Igwe Ignatius Ugwu, appealed to parents to tutor their children on Igbo language.
Ugwu called on the media to promote Igbo language by packaging Igbo programmes to encourage and help children imbibe the language and tradition.
Comments