By Ifeizu Joe
Apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has taken its campaign for the promotion of Igbo language and culture to women’s meetings in the six communities across Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dunukofia Chapter, Chief Uchenna Nwoye, known by his title name as Isimili Ifitedunu led other executives of the organization on the campaign to sensitize women of Umudioka community, during this year’s August Meeting.
August Meeting is an annual meeting of women in communities across Igboland, where women both at home and in the diaspora return to meet and deliberate on issues of welfare, family and others.
Nwoye who addressed Umudioka women during their meeting on Wednesday said they decided to visit the them to speak to them on the need to promote Igbo culture through teaching to their children because women are usually closer to children and remain the most impactful people in families.
He said: “Our culture, our language is dying and that is because we are already neglecting what we have. Our culture is our identity, so is our language. We want to charge you to start early in communicating with your children in our language. Teach them our culture, our dressing and our food too.”
He also presented gifts to the women of Umudioka on behalf of the organisation, including cash gift.
Also, the state woman leader of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mrs Joy Onyekwere who also addressed the women lamented that children born in Igbo land do no know how to speak Igbo language, saying that such trend portends danger for the family.
“What that means is that you can not communicate secretly with your children, or even pass a message to them when they are in danger without strangers knowing. How do you tell you child to run for his life when he is in danger, without those after him knowing?
“We came to you with message of our dying culture and we want you to steer your children back to culture. We came to ask you to encourage your children to embrace their language. We need to embrace our language and culture the way other ethnic groups are.
“We want to beg you to start teaching your children how to speak Igbo because that is what defines who they are and where they come from. I was born and raised in Lagos, but my parents always spoke Igbo to us. But today we have children who were born here in Anambra that can not speak their language. It is painful.”
Earlier, the traditional ruler of Ifitedunu community, Igwe Emeka Ilouno, who is also a medical doctor harped on the need to feed children natural and organic food, insisting that some of the junk food women feed their children are responsible for their poor performance in school.
“You can not be feeding your children with noodles and expect that they will do well in school, it can’t happen. I’m talking to you as a medical doctor, and I say that feeding your children with noodles and other such food limit the capacity of their brains. Let us go back to our natural food.”
