Safe Yoruba Language and Culture – Feyikemi Olayinka

Bidding support for the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) ‘endangered languages programme’, Nollywood actress and broadcaster, Feyikemi Niyi-Olayinka, has announced a Yoruba summer programme for children. This is in the wake of an estimate of UNESCO noting that if nothing is done, half of 6000 plus languages spoken today will disappear by the end of this century.

Feyikemi’s effort follows a similar bid by ace cinematographer, Tunde Kelani, whose film, Arugba, among others, is used as advocacy tool of safeguarding the Yoruba language and culture.

According to Niyi-Olayinka, who is targeting children between ages three and 11 for the summer programme, the week-long programme will commence on Monday, August 25 and end on Friday, August 29, at Agidingbi Primary School, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos, from 10am to 1pm daily.

“There are lots of ‘edutainment’ activities awaiting your children. Parents, please encourage your children to speak in their mother tongue,” the actress posted on her Facebook page.

She disclosed that the Yoruba language class is one of the activities of her not-for-profit organisation called Awa Egbe Akomolede (Mothers Support Mother Tongue), which was inaugurated in May.

First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, was among the guests present at the inauguration.

“I thank God for my father and mother. You don’t know what motherhood entails until you become a mother. I remember how my mother used to speak to me in idioms and proverbs. That is how we learnt much of the wisdom and native intelligence that keep us going now. But nowadays, many mothers no more speak Yoruba to their children, let alone use proverbs to help sharpen their intelligence. However, we shall be focusing on this during the programme,” she said.