Why We Celebrate Every Yoruba Film
Yoruba, an endangered language, is on the brink of extinction if we do not take immediate action! The decline in the number of individuals who can fluently speak and write Yoruba is a well-known fact.
One of the clear signs pointing towards the demise of the Yoruba language is the younger generation’s inability to speak or write our language with proper diacritics without interjecting English words.
The vitality of a language lies within its youngest generation. When languages are no longer naturally passed down to children in the home by their parents or guardians, they become at risk.
The reason we enthusiastically celebrate films like Jangun Jagun, Àyìnlá, Ẹlẹ́ṣin Ọba, Aníkúlápó, Mọkalik, and more is because they are feature films in Yoruba. These films have undeniably pushed the threat of extinction further away. I appreciate the fact that these films avoid the blending of Yoruba with English (Yorunglish).
You don’t hear:
Bá mi ti window yẹn
Gbé radio yẹn wá
Níbo ni phone mí wà?
Bá mi tan television yẹn
But you hear:
Bá mi ti fèrèsé yẹn
Gbé ẹ̀rọ asọ̀rọ̀mágbèsì yẹn wá
Níbo ni èrọ ìbánisọ̀rọ̀ mí wà?
Bá mi tan èrọ amóùnmáwòrán yẹn
Ire o.
Ọlọbẹ Yoyọn
