The Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka and Professor Oladele Orimoogunje
have asked parents and guardians to encourage their children to speak and write in
indigenous languages.
The duo said this at the special edition of Yoruba Lakotun, a cultural renaissance
programme held during the 21st Lagos Book & Art Festival (LABAF) and dedicated
to the late novelist, Oladejo Okediji.
Speaking at the first Yoruba Lakotun colloquium held in partnership with the
Committee for Relevant Arts (CORA), organisers of LABAF, Professor Soyinka said,
“We were raised in our indigenous culture, and we should not give up on it. We need
to keep encouraging speaking and writing in our indigenous languages.”
In his keynote speech, Professor Orimoogunje said that current writers need to
continually expand the frontiers of Yoruba literature after the death of Okediji
because there are opportunities for writers interested in oral and fictive literature.
Orimoogunje commended Okediji’s detective novels including ‘Aja lo leru’ (1969),
‘Agbalagba Akan’ (1971), ‘Oga Ni Bukola’ (1972), ‘Rere Run’ (1973), ‘Atoto Arere’
(1981), ‘Sango’ (1987), ‘Opa Agbeleka’ (1989), ‘Binu ti ri’ (1989), ‘Aajo Aje’ (1997),
‘Karin Kapo’ (2007), ‘Aaro Olomoge’ (2014) and ‘Ohun Enu Agba’ (2018).
There was also a panel discussion moderated by Damilare Igbayiloye of Akonilede
Yoruba with Dr Clement Odoje of the University of Ibadan; Dr Ayodele Oyewale of
the University of Lagos; Mrs Folake Benson of Scholars Runnel and Mr Ayobami
Oyedele of Yoruba Di Wura as panellists. They all agreed that Yoruba scholars and
enthusiasts need to be more strategic to gain more global relevance.
According to Dr Odoje, "The Nigerian government needs to support the teaching,
learning and research on our languages because various countries are deliberate
about learning our languages and engaging those who are versed in the knowledge of Nigerian languages.
The international community is currently appreciating the
value of Nigerian languages, and as a nation, we need to latch onto this as well."
Other segments of the colloquium include the extensive teaching on ‘Ikini’
(greetings) by Chief Gbemisoye Ayano, reading of poems from Okediji’s last poetry
collection, ‘Ohun Enu Agba.’ There were also performances by Jojo Bodybeatst and
Muri Amulegbajo. There were award presentations to Prof Oladele Orimoogunje;
Mama Iyabode Aboaba; Chief Gbemisoye Ayano and Mr Yemi Shodimu.
The late Oladejo Okediji was the father of the US-based artist and art teacher,
Professor Moyo Okediji. He was the author of several Yoruba novels and died aged 89 in April.
