By Ifeizu Joe
Wife of the governor of Anambra State, Dr Nonye Soludo has called on locals to take pride in speaking their native languages, saying it promotes their identity and culture.
The governor’s wife stated this in a press release she signed and made available to journalists, which is meant to commemorate this year’s United Nations Mother Tongue Day, a day meant to promote the speaking of local languages.
Mrs Soludo said people’s culture and identity can never be completed until they are complemented with their languages.
She said: “Speak your mother tongue without fear, without limitation, and without apology. The major reason our Mother Language is fast disappearing is because we do not celebrate it enough.
“Mother Language is a treasure that everyone should carry with pride. No one can protect it better than you who owns it. There’s no shame in speaking your Mother Tongue, and celebrating its beauty and uniqueness.
“Your mother tongue is your emblem of socio-cultural participation. Let no one tell you that you can’t speak it. Speak it. Cherish it. Be proud of it.
“Our culture is incomplete if it does not reflect the distinctiveness of what we speak that connects us as a community. Language is a genuine identity,” she said.
