<div dir="ltr"><p class="gmail-p1"><span class="gmail-s1">“T</span><span class="gmail-s1">echnology and
democracy communicate meaning through the vehicle of language. It is
difficult to advance technology and democracy without a corresponding
advancement of language. Indeed, without language there will be no
social understanding and, therefore, no stable environment within which
technological innovation and democratic processes can take place. It
takes language to aggregate and express group interests, negotiate
political stakes and express political choices. It takes technology to
advance these goals.” (<i>Language, Technology and Democratic Culture</i> by Bukar Usman, p.14)</span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s1">The interlink between three principal
phenomena namely: technology, language and democracy as thoroughly
diagnosed by renowned Abuja based master story teller, Dr. Bukar Usman,
former permanent secretary in the Presidency, is indeed an eye opener to
every nation of the world. </span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s2">This prolific writer of the book under review, <i>Language, Technology and Democratic Culture</i>,
who devotes his time after retirement to creative writing, cultural
research and folklore revival in Nigeria, has again given to his world, a
masterpiece that would probably realign and restore sanity in both
Africa and the global community.</span></p><div class="gmail-code-block gmail-code-block-3" style="margin:8px auto;text-align:center;clear:both">
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<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s2">Perhaps it is apt to say that the whole
world is suffering from identical infirmity- political brouhaha. From
Europe to United States of America and back to Africa, the world appears
to have been raped and disillusioned. Most African countries for
instance, despite their independence from colonial masters, appear not
have gained political freedom judging from various crises that bedeviled
them politically, economically or otherwise. The advent of ongoing
terrorism in most nations cannot be unconnected with the subject treated
in Usman’s book where both the governed and the government have lost
the common factor of understanding of linking their
technological-know-how with subject of democracy and language. </span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s2">Usman, who was crowned as <i>Jakadan Adabin </i>Hausa
(Ambassador of Hausa Literature), by the National Museum of Burkina
Faso, merged together, two conference papers he presented at different
institutions to make this all-season book. </span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s2">The first was at the International
Conference on Languages, new Multi-Purpose Hall of the College of
Education, Zuba, FCT, Abuja on October 13, 2015. The second paper was
presented at the International Colloquium on Cultural Diversity and
National Identity, held at the Abdou Moumouni University, Niamey, Niger
Republic on 2-3 June 2016.</span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s2">He takes time to explain in clear terms,
the three subjects and how they are related. The author reechoes how
technology has delivered very useful inventions, such as the internet
and the mobile phone. </span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s2">“The internet in particular has proved to
be very useful in making information available to all in the quickest
possible time. Google’s role in this regard is remarkable.” </span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s1">However, he notes that there are negative
impacts of this development that indicate that unless we secure the
user of the internet and its capacity for meaning-making and
meaning-internalization, we may wake up one day to discover that our
people, rather than being controlled by their thoughts, have become
robotic victims of technology.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>He
maintains that to change the negative impact of the internet, we need
to enhance the internet-user’s capacity for meaning-making choices. </span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s2">“Language is a very vital driver of
change; the more meaningful the language, the greater change it
delivers. No language conveys meaning to our people more than our
indigenous languages. We can employ indigenous languages as weapons of
change; we can use them to stimulate technological and democratic
development.” (17)</span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s2">The author advocates for the need to
sustain our local language “as it is only when a language is in
existence that one can relate it to technology, democracy and other
cultural expressions.” (19)</span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s1">It saddens ones heart that till date, no
one has the actual number of languages in Nigeria as equally noticed by
the author. Usman recalled in his book that <i>Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th edition</i>, published in 2009<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>claimed
that Nigeria has a total number of 527 languages, out of which 514 are
living languages, two (English and Pidgin) are second languages without
mother tongue speakers while 11 are languages with no known speakers. </span></p><div class="gmail-code-block gmail-code-block-4 gmail-ai-viewport-1 gmail-ai-viewport-2" style="margin:8px auto;text-align:center;clear:both">
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<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s2">Expressing his fear on the untold damages
the extinction of local languages may cause Nigeria as a nation, the
author observed that most people in Biu area where he hails from,
including the youth and the old can hardly read and write in any
indigenous language or converse fluently without interjecting Hausa or
English.</span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s2">“I must say that (that) prophetic
statement about the possible disappearance of Bura language initially
frightened me, but after barely seven decades it is turning out to be a
true prediction- unless something is urgently done to stop it.” (22)</span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s3">The book thoroughly reviews how Nigerian languages can be used to drive technology. </span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s3">He also educates his world on basic facts
on culture and human rights; language and learning; language education
policy, national language policy; contributions on the subject by
various institutions; globalisation and welcome development. </span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s2">The author concludes that the effect of
technology on language cannot be subject to regulation by any authority
as change in language “is simply a natural response to advancement in
technology that is either being promoted by the society that develops it
or accepted by the society that sees the new technology as contributing
to the enhancement of its living standard.” (42-43)</span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s2">The comments made by eminent personalities that read the published lecture were published in the book. </span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s2">For instance, former national president
of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Dr. Wale Okediran reacted
to the author’s presentation thus: “Nice and well researched write up.
Well done sir.”</span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s4">Also one of the attendees of the
conference, Professor C. Ohiri-Aniche could not resist the impeccable
facts the author put together to free his world thus: “Our most erudite
friend and associate, it was a great pleasure for my colleague, Dr.
Abubakar Muhammad, National Treasurer Linguistic Association of Nigeria
(LAN) and I to be at the College of Education, Zuba International
Conference. As expected, your keynote speech was not only excellent, you
adopted a delivery style much suited to the audience. Congratulations.”
(53-54)</span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s2">The second paper, Cultural Diversity and
National Identity identifies unequivocally the colloquium theme and
current debate; colonial legacy; global and regional institutions;
technology, diversity, universality in perspective as well as economic
prosperity, social divides and cultural preservation.</span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s5">The author suggests that, the world must
stop encouraging the flourishing of mindsets capable of provoking the
clash of civilisations envisaged by American Professor, Samuel
Huntington. </span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s5">He submits however that there are features of national cultures that will persist despite global pressures.</span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s5">The book contains the long list of Nigerian languages extracted from various sources.</span></p>
<p class="gmail-p3"><span class="gmail-s5"><i>Languages, Technology and Democratic Culture </i>is
written in lucid language with coloured photographs. It is potable,
printed in friendly format and chronologically chronicled to appeal to
truant readers. </span></p>
<span class="gmail-s2">It can best be described as today’s book
for sustenance of tomorrow’s world. It is recommended for every being
that desire rare knowledge</span><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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