Nigeria is a nation blessed with remarkable cultural diversity. We are a people of different ethnic groups, languages, traditions, customs, and religious beliefs. This diversity is one of the things that makes our country unique and culturally rich. Every ethnic group has a history to preserve, a heritage to celebrate, and a language that connects it to its roots.
Among these ethnic groups is the Isoko nation, a people whose identity, history, and cultural heritage I am immensely proud of. I am an Isoko man from Oghara-Iyede in Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State. As a young man who takes an interest in the history and heritage of his people, I have spent time reflecting on our identity and the values for which the Isoko people are known.
Isoko people are widely regarded as respectful, hardworking, hospitable, and industrious. These are qualities we are proud to identify with. However, beyond these admirable characteristics, there is one aspect of our heritage that should deeply concern every genuine Isoko son and daughter: the gradual disappearance of our language from the tongues of our younger generations.
The Isoko language, which ought to be one of the strongest expressions of our identity, is gradually losing its place in our homes and communities. English and Nigerian Pidgin have become the dominant means of communication among many families, even within Isokoland. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with learning and speaking English or Nigerian Pidgin, it becomes a serious cultural problem when these languages gradually replace our mother tongue.
Consider a simple illustration. If you walk into a community in Isokoland and call some young children by saying, "Nyaze!" (Come!), you may discover that some of them will simply stare at you without understanding what you have said. However, the moment you repeat the same instruction in English, they respond immediately.
This is not merely a funny observation; it is a disturbing reality that should provoke serious reflection among Isoko parents, traditional rulers, community leaders, educators, and cultural organisations.
How did we get to this point? How did a people with a distinct language, rich history, and cultural identity gradually become disconnected from the language of their ancestors?
The truth is that we have collectively failed in one important responsibility: passing our language from one generation to another.
A language does not survive merely because it has a name, a dictionary, or a place in historical records. It survives when people speak it, teach it, write it, sing it, and deliberately pass it on to their children.
If this trend continues unchecked, I fear that a day may come when we will proudly identify ourselves as Isoko people but struggle to communicate in the language of our ancestors. We may retain our ethnic identity while gradually losing one of its most important cultural foundations.
That would be a tragic development.
A Biblical Perspective: The Danger of Losing One's Language
Being a Christian, I would like to draw our attention to an interesting biblical account in Judges 12:1–6.
In this passage, the Bible records a conflict between the men of Gilead and the Ephraimites. Following their defeat, the Ephraimites attempted to escape by crossing the Jordan River. However, the men of Gilead devised a method of identifying them through their pronunciation of a particular word: Shibboleth.
The Ephraimites could not pronounce the word correctly. Instead, they pronounced it as Sibboleth. Their inability to reproduce the required pronunciation exposed their identity, and the consequence was tragic.
Judges 12:6 records that 42,000 Ephraimites were killed on that occasion.
This biblical account reveals how language and pronunciation can serve as markers of identity and belonging. Although the historical circumstances surrounding this event were different from our present cultural concerns, there is an important lesson we can draw from it.
Language is more than a means of communication. It can distinguish one people from another, preserve collective identity, and connect generations to their history.
Now, let us bring this reflection closer to home.
If a similar situation were to arise in Isokoland, would some of our children be able to identify themselves through the language of their ancestors? Would they understand the words spoken by their grandparents? Would they be able to communicate effectively in Isoko without relying on English or Pidgin?
These are questions we must honestly confront.
Imagine an Isoko child growing up in Isokoland but being unable to understand or speak Isoko. What does that say about our commitment to preserving our heritage?
Who should take responsibility for this situation?
While several factors may contribute to language decline, I believe Isoko parents must accept a significant share of the responsibility.
Many Isoko parents communicate with their children almost exclusively in English or Nigerian Pidgin, even when they have the opportunity to speak Isoko at home. Some appear to believe that speaking English to their children makes them more educated, sophisticated, or socially advanced.
But why should learning English require abandoning our mother tongue?
Are we the only ethnic group in Nigeria that has learnt to speak English? Are other Nigerian tribes abandoning their indigenous languages because their children are learning English?
Certainly not!
Many ethnic communities continue to speak their indigenous languages while also encouraging their children to become proficient in English. They understand that acquiring another language does not require sacrificing their own.
We must learn from this.
There is nothing wrong with an Isoko child speaking excellent English. In fact, we should encourage our children to become academically and linguistically competent. However, we must also ensure that they can speak, understand, and appreciate the language of their people.
We must not become so educated in foreign languages that we become strangers to our own mother tongue.
Let the Gileadites teach their children the language of the Gileadites, and let the Ephraimites teach their children the language of the Ephraimites.
Likewise, let the Isoko people teach their children the language of the Isoko people.
A word is enough for the wise!
The Cultural Consequences of Losing the Isoko Language
We must understand that when a language gradually disappears, the loss goes beyond the inability to communicate in that language.
A language carries the history, wisdom, worldview, expressions, idioms, proverbs, traditional knowledge, and collective experiences of a people.
Through our indigenous languages, our ancestors communicated values, settled disputes, preserved family histories, taught moral lessons, and passed down wisdom from one generation to another.
There are expressions in Isoko that may lose their original meaning or cultural depth when translated into English. There are traditional sayings and proverbs whose beauty, humour, and wisdom are best appreciated in the language in which they were originally expressed.
When we lose the language, we risk losing access to important aspects of our cultural memory.
Furthermore, what happens to our traditional songs, oral histories, folktales, and indigenous expressions when the younger generation can no longer understand them?
Who will interpret the words of our elders for generations yet unborn? Who will preserve the stories that have been passed down through families for decades?
We cannot afford to allow our language to become a forgotten relic of the past.
An Isoko person should be able to trace his or her roots, understand the language of the ancestors, and communicate with fellow Isoko people without feeling disconnected from that heritage.
Our identity should not exist only in our surnames, villages, local government areas, or ancestral records. It should also find expression in our language.
How We Can Save the Isoko Language From Extinction
The good news is that the situation can still be addressed. We have not reached a point where nothing can be done. However, saving the Isoko language requires deliberate action, collective commitment, and a willingness to make our language part of everyday life again.
Here are some practical steps we can take:
1. Parents Must Speak Isoko at Home
The responsibility begins in our homes. Isoko parents must deliberately communicate with their children in Isoko.
We should not wait until our children grow older before attempting to teach them the language. Language acquisition begins at an early age, and the home is one of the most important environments for learning.
Let mothers speak Isoko to their children. Let fathers communicate with their children in Isoko. Let grandparents tell stories in Isoko.
Even when children respond in English or Pidgin, parents should patiently encourage them to understand and speak Isoko.
We must make speaking our language a normal part of family life.
2. Introduce Isoko Language Lessons in Our Communities
Our community leaders, traditional institutions, churches, schools, and cultural organisations should consider organising structured Isoko language classes.
Children who cannot speak Isoko should have opportunities to learn it. Those who already understand it should be encouraged to improve their fluency.
We can organise weekend classes, holiday programmes, cultural competitions, and community language-learning initiatives.
Our churches can also contribute by incorporating Isoko into selected worship sessions, announcements, songs, and other activities.
3. Produce Isoko Films and Entertainment Content
We must take advantage of the entertainment industry and digital media to promote our language.
Let us encourage the production of Isoko movies, documentaries, comedy skits, drama, and educational programmes.
Our young people spend considerable time watching videos on social media platforms. Why can't we create engaging content that teaches, entertains, and promotes the Isoko language?
If other languages can thrive through entertainment as the Igbo people do through Nollywood, there is no reason Isoko cannot enjoy similar opportunities.
4. Publish Newspapers, Books, and Other Materials in Isoko
We should encourage writers, bloggers, journalists, publishers, and cultural enthusiasts to produce written materials in the Isoko language.
Let us have Isoko blogs, newspapers, magazines, children's storybooks, dictionaries, poems, historical publications, and educational materials.
The availability of written resources will help learners develop their reading and writing skills while ensuring that our language is documented for future generations.
Our educated sons and daughters should see this as an opportunity to contribute to the preservation of our heritage.
5. Compose and Promote Isoko Songs
Music is a powerful instrument for preserving language and culture. For example, men like Evangelist Cornelius Adam Igbudu made the Ebio or Kirimomo Isoko music popular in Isokoland and beyond.
We should encourage musicians, gospel singers, traditional music groups, and young creative talents to compose and perform songs in Isoko.
Our churches, in particular, can play an important role by encouraging the composition of more Isoko gospel songs.
When children sing in Isoko, they become more familiar with its vocabulary, expressions, pronunciation, and rhythm.
Let us make Isoko a language that people enjoy speaking and singing.
6. Use Social Media to Promote the Isoko Language
We are living in a digital age, and we must not allow our language to be left behind.
Isoko individuals and organisations should create social media platforms dedicated to teaching and promoting the language.
We can introduce daily Isoko vocabulary, short conversations, pronunciation lessons, proverbs, translations, and cultural explanations.
For instance, we can have a daily feature called "Learn Isoko Today" where a new word or expression is introduced and explained.
Our young people should be able to learn Isoko through the same digital platforms they already use for entertainment and information.
7. Encourage Isoko Cultural Organisations to Take Action
Our cultural associations and community organisations must move beyond occasional cultural celebrations and make language preservation a central part of their activities.
It is not enough to wear traditional attire, organise cultural festivals, and celebrate our heritage once in a while.
We must also preserve the language that gives meaning to much of that heritage.
Isoko cultural organisations should establish programmes, competitions, and initiatives that reward children and young people who demonstrate proficiency in the language.
8. Let the Younger Generation Take Ownership
The responsibility of preserving Isoko does not belong to the older generation alone.
Young Isoko people like myself must understand that they are custodians of a heritage they did not create but have a responsibility to preserve.
We must stop regarding the speaking of Isoko as old-fashioned or inferior.
Speaking our mother tongue should never be a source of embarrassment. It should be a source of pride.
We can be globally minded, academically accomplished, technologically advanced, and fluent in English while remaining deeply connected to our Isoko identity.
A Call to Every Isoko Son and Daughter
My fellow Isoko people, the time to act is now.
We cannot continue to fold our arms while our language gradually disappears from our homes, schools, streets, and communities.
We must understand that cultural preservation is not exclusively the responsibility of traditional rulers, government officials, or cultural organisations. It is a collective responsibility.
Every Isoko father has a role to play. Every Isoko mother has a role to play. Every teacher, pastor, traditional ruler, community leader, writer, blogger, journalist, musician, and young person has a role to play.
Let us begin with the little things.
Speak Isoko to your children. Encourage your children to speak Isoko to their grandparents. Teach them the meaning of Isoko names. Explain our proverbs and traditional expressions to them. Tell them stories about our people in our own language.
Let us create an environment where a child who speaks Isoko is celebrated rather than mocked.
We must also recognise that preserving our language does not mean rejecting other languages or isolating ourselves from the wider world. It simply means appreciating our roots while embracing the opportunities that come with learning other languages.
English can open international doors for our children, but Isoko connects them to their ancestral heritage. We should not have to sacrifice one to acquire the other.
I am proud to be Isoko. I am proud of my roots in Oghara-Iyede. I am proud of the history and heritage of my people. And I believe that one of the greatest gifts we can give the next generation is the opportunity to inherit not just our name and cultural identity, but also the language through which our ancestors expressed themselves.
Let us not be the generation that watched the Isoko language die. Let us be the generation that rescued it.
The Isoko language must never die!
May our children speak it, may our grandchildren understand it, and may generations yet unborn find it alive and flourishing.
Long live the Isoko nation! Long live the Isoko language!
Isaiah Ogedegbe is a Nigerian blogger and writer of Isoko origin, from Oghara-Iyede in Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State. Based in Warri, he writes on Isoko heritage, history, culture, religion, and other subjects of interest to the Isoko people.
Editorial note: Judges 12 describes a historical conflict, so the lesson is about language as an identifier of identity, not a suggestion that Isoko children could face the same consequences.
The article is, therefore, a cultural advocacy piece perhaps suitable for publication in Isoko Nation.
