[lg policy] Employing Indigenous Languages as wepons of change

Tue Dec 26 16:22:52 UTC 2017

“Technology 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.” (*Language, Technology and Democratic Culture* by
Bukar Usman, p.14)

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.

This prolific writer of the book under review, *Language, Technology and
Democratic Culture*, 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.

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.

Usman, who was crowned as *Jakadan Adabin *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.

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.

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.

“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.”

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.  He maintains that to change the
negative impact of the internet, we need to enhance the internet-user’s
capacity for meaning-making choices.

“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)

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)

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 *Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th edition*, published
in 2009  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.

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.

“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)

The book thoroughly reviews how Nigerian languages can be used to drive
technology.

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.

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)

The comments made by eminent personalities that read the published lecture
were published in the book.

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.”

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)

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.

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.

He submits however that there are features of national cultures that will
persist despite global pressures.

The book contains the long list of Nigerian languages extracted from
various sources.

*Languages, Technology and Democratic Culture *is written in lucid language
with coloured photographs. It is potable, printed in friendly format and
chronologically chronicled to appeal to truant readers.
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

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 Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
 Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone:  (215) 898-7475
Fax:  (215) 573-2138

Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

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