Nollywood actress and filmmaker Bimbo Thomas has urged Nigerian parents to be more intentional about teaching their kids indigenous languages.
She recently shared that learning to speak in Yoruba, Igbo, or Hausa will not stop any Nigerian kid from achieving success in life.
Speaking during an interview with Saturday Beats after the viral appearance of her son, Jayden Olanrewaju, who introduced himself as Ogbeni Ajadi, on the popular Yoruba game show, “Masoyinbo,” Bimbo revealed that her boy’s love for Yoruba is natural but nurtured.
According to her, while she constantly speaks Yoruba to him at home, he also developed a natural passion for speaking the language on his own, and that birthed the fluency he recently flaunted on TV.
Addressing Yoruba parents who think encouraging their kids to speak the language would make them appear local, the moviestar referenced Igbo parents who constantly teach their children to speak both English and their mother tongue.
“I often speak Yoruba to him, and my late mum called him Ajadi. He would always try to speak Yoruba with her, even if it wasn’t perfect. She made him understand the originality of the name, Ajadi. He just developed a natural passion for speaking Yoruba, blending it with the Queen’s English taught in school.
More parents need to be intentional about passing on indigenous languages to their children. Growing up in Lagos Island, some Yoruba parents felt that encouraging their kids to speak Yoruba would make them look local or not classy. But Igbo parents around us always taught their children to speak both English and their mother tongue,” she said.
She appreciated the organizers of the “Masoyinbo” programme for giving Yoruba speakers a platform to showcase their love for the unique language.
Bimbo concluded by saying that watching her son bask in the euphoria of his mother tongue made her so happy.
“Thanks to ‘Masoyinbo’, his ability to recite numbers and deliver in Yoruba has improved. I was full of joy watching him. I’ve never been prouder,” she added.
