The English Language,
since the advent of the West onto the African soil, has been a major part of
the everyday life of the average African. At a time when the ideals of the West
were being whisked together with the ideals of Africa, English happened to be
the only linguistic escape route for the success of the Western orchestration
to be achieved. At the end of such linguistic communion, which could
comfortably be referred to as a linguistic war, Africans didn't emerge the same
as the English Language had been acquired, branded on the African identity with
a hot and painful iron. From then unto this time, the English Language has
remained priceless and of great value despite the circumstances surrounding its
emergence in the African space. It has remained a viable and reliable means of
communication in Africa, being a frontline language in the midst of the
multiplicity of indigenous languages. It has become a second language and
a foreign language in Nigeria and a good number of other neighbouring
countries respectively. The language has been a national integrator, the mortar
with which the Nigerian building blocks are held together. It is the means by
which the national fabric is unified, and an attempt to take away the language
will put an end to the existence of the Nigerian nation. As a matter of fact,
the importance of the English Language cannot be overemphasized.
However, the English
Language remains an uncomfortable, abiding and, indeed, a towering monument in Nigeria and
a linguistic reminder of the painful encounter with the West. This is an
assertion that cannot really be denied as the handwriting is boldly written all
over the wall. Buildings, clothing, items and others may have passed away with
time, but the English Language, which is an intangible commodity, has stayed
afloat as a linguistic reminder of the Western encounter, which was a perilous
encounter for most Africans. A single thought given to the advent of the
language reminds one of the bitter colonial experiences of time past. English
has remained an uncomfortable factor in the midst of the African indigenous
languages, a language that has come to stay and remains at the topmost point,
rooted in a solid foundation.
The English Language
remains a threat to the indigenous languages of Africa which have been
undermined. The Mother Tongue (MT) of the various regions have since been and
are continually oppressed. Every good school teaches English, and the focus is
usually on British English. There is almost no school that teaches African
indigenous languages with the same seriousness and vision with which the
English Language is taught. The study of indigenous languages is never an
interesting topic to a vast majority of Africans. Only a handful of us even
consider the study of these languages an option. Society has attached so much
importance to the English Language and has stripped the African indigenous
languages of any prestige left of them. A university degree in Igbo, Yoruba,
Islamic Studies or any other indigenous language is not as much valued by
parents as a university degree in English. As a result, students do not
consider studying these languages as reasonable. To a large extent, the African
indigenous languages are endangered in the face of the English Language,
thereby making the latter an uncomfortable factor.
Furthermore, the English
Language is strongly abiding on the African soil. The language has come to
stay, remains a frontrunner and is not going down anytime soon. From its advent
till date, it has remained firm and has never faced any threat of eradication.
It is not just a language among others in Africa but has gained so exalted a
status that it now serves as a second language in Nigeria and a foreign
language in some neighbouring African states. It is a chosen language and a
special one given the fact that it is being accorded great importance as a
foreign language which is studied critically even by Africans for foreign and
international purposes. English has risen to the status of a global language,
and no African society has been able to ignore its rise.
Referring to English as a
towering monument in the African situation is also not a strange statement as
English has successfully planted itself in a large space and continues to abide
strongly herein. It has erected itself in all nooks and crannies of the
Nigerian sphere: education, banking, government, publishing etc. The colonial masters
and slave traders may have left, and African countries may have successfully
fought for and attained their independence, but the towering monument of the
English language continues to remain bold and strong – a concrete proof of the
painful and bitter encounter with the West, reaching beyond every reasonable
doubt.
In a nutshell, the
English Language continues to rise and is too solidly rooted in Africa to be
displaced. Africans will forever be reminded of the bitter experiences they
encountered in the hands of the cruel ambassadors of the West as long as the
English Language continues to be learnt, spoken and utilized in various spheres
of society by various groups of Africans.
Coauthored by:
Boma Batubo