Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
The National President of the Igbo Women Assembly, Lolo Nneka Chimezie, has declared that forsaking Igbo culture in favour of Western influences constitutes the most significant deception to happen to the Igbo race.
In a passionate address at the Ikengaonline monthly virtual Town Hall meeting on Thursday, the IWA President emphasised the profound impact of embracing Western culture on the Igbo community.
Describing it as a monumental scam, she highlighted the erosion of traditional values, language, and customs.
Lolo Chimezie urged a re-evaluation of the cultural shift and a renewed commitment to preserving the rich heritage of the Igbo people.
She said: “The white man understood the enormous power of language, and carefully designed an education system that imposed his language on us as a means of communication.
“English is the language of communication in many working places, businesses, schools, churches, and other social gathering in Igboland. They made it look like without education, people can do nothing.
“Today, in the South-East, you could barely see a child between 2-10 years that understands Igbo culture let alone speak the language. Out of 1,000 children in the South-East region, not up to 200 understand the Igbo language.”
Language remains an individual’s natural Identity. Anybody without a native language has no identity. But they sold to us a dummy culture; one that leads to nowhere.”
The IWA President who spoke on the Theme: “Saving the Igbo Language from Going into Extinction: What Must Be Done,” argued that fluency in the English language is never a yardstick for determining who is educated but skills to successfully execute tasks.
She said Igbo artisans are even thriving in their various trades having passed through the celebrated Igbo apprenticeship system.
According to her, such people should not be classified as illiterates probably because they cannot communicate fluently in the English language.
She further encouraged Igbo parents to speak the Igbo language to their children to help save the Igbo language from going into extinction.
