Yoruba’s have been urged to stop committing syntactic errors when speaking their language, most especially with proverbs and other clichés. This was the main subject of discourse at the last edition of ‘Yoruba Lakotun’ by the Guest writer, Mr. Sunday Folorunso Adeniyi, at Ethnic Heritage Centre, Ikoyi, Lagos over the weekend.
According to Adeniyi, the author of Esin Obinrin, OwuIyagbon, amongst other books, ‘Yoruba sayings have been bastardized by many people. These alterations affect the meaning of either the proverbs or the clichés. Many times, meanings are lost because of the inappropriate words used. These sayings have become engrained in our daily lives such that people no longer know the actual sayings.’
He further explained that ‘some of these proverbs have historical backgrounds while others are purely phonological. The infiltration of foreign languages into Yoruba culture is also one of the factors responsible for these syntactic errors. Yoruba writers are hereby charged to be versed in the culture and language in order to correct these syntactic errors for posterity.’
Another Special Guest at the event, Otunba Lekan Ajirotutu, a Yoruba broadcaster and lecturer, said ‘there are a lot of people who do not understand the Yoruba language and culture. This has affected the quality of broadcast in the language. It has also negatively impacted on the movie industry. He admonished users of the language to read and write widely in Yoruba language so as to allow for the education of the masses in the language.
In his comments, Israel Bolaji, Lagos-Based Public Relations professional, added that the movie industry needs to portray the culture in positive light. This is to ensure that people are not scared off the culture. According to him, ‘the didactic lessons of the culture, more than its inimical acts, should be portrayed to the outside world. The world is desirous of seeing noble contents from the Yorubas. We must, as expected, produce great contents that will attract the patronage of those in the diaspora.’
The event drew in cultural enthusiasts from the corporate and social sectors in Nigeria.
ABOUT YORUBA LAKOTUN:
It is a quarterly live audience-participatory programme where different creative arts are presented, followed by an interview session with a Yoruba writer. The host is Olutayo Irantiola
ABOUT ETHNIC HERITAGE CENTRE:
Ethnic Heritage Centre is located at 35A, Raymond Njoku Street off Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. The centre is a foremost learning rendezvous for the learning of Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and French, thereby exposing people to the cultural elements surrounding those languages while promoting and preserving these cultural heritages, in the long run.
This is achieved through a modern, creative and innovative method of learning.
The programmes are flexible enough to accommodate Nigerian residents and those who are on short visits to Nigeria that might be interested in having a better understanding of the Nigerian peoples and their cultures.
The centre also has a library stocked with books in all the languages for everyone.
There is also ‘Kasuwa’, which means ‘Market’ in Hausa, where different creative works can be purchased.
FOR PRESS ENQUIRIES: Send an e-mail to yorubalakotun@gmail.com or call 07062021341, 08052048143.
