YORUBA LANGUAGE CARRIES OUR IDENTITY, LAGOS DEPUTY GOVERNOR HAMZAT SAYS

A language carries more than words. It preserves a people’s history, values, traditions and understanding of the world. Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat has renewed the call to protect Yoruba language and culture following his appearance on the Másòyìnbó cultural game show.

Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, has called for the preservation of Yoruba language and culture, describing the language as an important part of the identity and heritage of its people.

Hamzat made the call following his appearance on Másòyìnbó, an educational entertainment programme designed to promote the Yoruba language through questions, cultural knowledge and interactive challenges.

The deputy governor’s message places renewed attention on the importance of preserving indigenous languages at a time when English and other dominant languages feature prominently in education, public communication and everyday interactions.

Másòyìnbó, whose name encourages participants not to speak English, challenges contestants to communicate in Yoruba while answering questions. The programme also promotes Yoruba expressions, proverbs and cultural knowledge.

YORUBA AS A MARKER OF IDENTITY

For many Yoruba people, the language is closely connected to family relationships, oral history, traditional knowledge, music, literature and community life.

Its expressions and proverbs often communicate lessons about responsibility, respect, patience, leadership and social relationships. These meanings can be difficult to reproduce fully when translated into another language.

Preserving Yoruba therefore involves more than documenting vocabulary. It also requires passing on the knowledge, values and cultural practices expressed through the language.

Hamzat’s call highlights the need to treat indigenous languages as living parts of society rather than relics of the past.

THE ROLE OF MASOYINBO

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Másòyìnbó uses entertainment to encourage people to speak and understand Yoruba more confidently. The programme’s format challenges participants to answer questions without slipping into English, making everyday language habits part of the competition.

Its approach also shows how digital media can support cultural education by presenting language learning in an engaging format for audiences at home and abroad.

Research into the programme has examined its role in strengthening Yoruba linguistic identity, encouraging audience participation and promoting cultural awareness through online media.

The programme’s wider significance lies in making language preservation accessible to younger audiences, including those who may understand Yoruba but struggle to speak it fluently.

FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY

Although cultural programmes can raise awareness, preserving a language requires consistent effort within homes, schools and communities.

Parents and guardians can help by speaking Yoruba with children, explaining the meanings of proverbs and encouraging younger family members to learn traditional greetings, stories and expressions.

Schools and cultural organisations can also support indigenous-language learning through reading materials, storytelling, drama, music and structured language activities.

Digital platforms provide additional opportunities to document oral histories, teach vocabulary and connect younger speakers with elders who hold valuable cultural knowledge. The objective should not be to discourage the learning of English or other languages.

Rather, it is to ensure that acquiring additional languages does not come at the expense of one’s mother tongue.

PRESERVING HERITAGE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

The preservation of Yoruba also contributes to the wider effort to protect Nigeria’s linguistic diversity. The country is home to numerous indigenous languages, each carrying its own history, traditions and cultural knowledge.

When a language loses everyday speakers, communities risk losing expressions, oral traditions and forms of knowledge that may not be adequately preserved in written records.

ValidViewNetwork reports that Hamzat’s appearance on Másòyìnbó has brought fresh attention to the importance of protecting Yoruba language and culture. The broader lesson is that cultural heritage survives when people practise it, teach it and pass it to the next generation.

Public advocacy can raise awareness, but lasting preservation begins with everyday use in homes, schools and communities.