Often times I have heard people ask me ' How come you speak igbo very fluently despite the fact that you grew up in Lagos?' lol, I smile and I tell them ITS MY PARENTS!
whenever I see parents esp igbos speaking strictly English to their kids, I am really sorry to say this but I always feel irritated, I don't know if there is some special ajebutter swag associated to it but then it does not make sense one bit!
We should be proud of our language and culture
I had my nursery, primary, secondary education here, it's only university that took me out which of course holidays and breaks, I am back! And still I know how to speak my language very well and very fluently
I remember then in secondary school, there were times that they will call all the students to come and write their names, parents' names, mother's maiden name, their state, LGA, village and about 70% of us will just be looking like mumu, they will have to send them home to go and get it directly from their parents
In my Father's house, it's strictly Igbo ,the only time he speaks English to us is only when he is helping us out with an assignment, or teaching us something or if we gbagaun, he will then have to correct us as per Lawyer wey him be nah, lol
Somebody once asked, ' the inability of so many youths or kids to speak their Language, is whose fault, the parents or environment?' It's a very simple answer, THE PARENTS
my younger sister speaks Yoruba and Igbo very fluently ,like her Yoruba is so tech that she will have to tell you that she is an igbo girl before you will know that she is not Yoruba, then when she switches to Igbo, ofcourse it's super cool, and of course she sabi speak English pass people wey dey form Ajebor
Even the whites, you don't see a French man or German speaking English to his kids in his home country, they colonised us, yes! But that does not mean that we should throw our own language away
My parents communicated with us in Igbo and we communicate with our teachers and friends in English, you can not tell me that Environment is the reason you can't speak your language, that's not true! I am yet to meet a Yoruba person, even if the person was raised in London that cannot speak Yoruba, that's something Yoruba folks and Hausas have, so many Igbo parents are missing it, they are the ones causing it
If I speak Igbo outside and you tell me to stop and act like its irritating you, I will quickly change it for you, walai
I have seen so many igbo people that can't speak Igbo but can chew yoruba, why nah? Some even speak Yoruba with their parents? Why? ,with the way so many Igbo parents are going, I pray the igbo language will not go extinct someday, Amen!
I have said it a million times, I don't want to know the country I might stay and raise my kids, but we will speak Igbo in the house and they will speak English and every other language outside the house, and once in a while every holiday, they will visit grandma, learn culture.
My Name is Adaeze Nwanma and I am a proud Igbo girl!
I AM A VERY PROUD IGBO WOMAN, OYIBO IS NOT MY LANGUAGE NEITHER IS IT MY CULTURE