Nollywood star Yul Edochie has sparked widespread discussion online after sharing a candid message directed at Igbo parents.
On his Instagram page, the actor expressed concern over the fact that many Igbo children today are unable to speak their native language. He emphasized that parents who neglect the responsibility of teaching their children Igbo are falling short in preserving an important aspect of their culture.
Edochie wrote:
“Many of us who are Igbos have children who cannot speak Igbo. This is a failure on our part that we must work to correct.”
Earlier, he also encouraged the Igbo community to reconnect with Omenaani, the traditional spiritual practices of their people.
In a related message from July, Edochie advised Igbo individuals living abroad particularly those who feel unwelcome or marginalized to reconsider their place in foreign lands. He urged them to embrace their roots and return to Igbo land instead of striving for acceptance where they are not truly valued.
Read his post here:
View this post on Instagram
See some comments below:
@mercyokorie567:”Teaching our children Igbo language is not the only way to show that we are responsible parents. You can still teach them Igbo and fail in another aspect of parenting just you failed. You should be the last person to advice anyone about how to raise a child Yul”
@fcee_global:”Too much cartoon dey cause this one. I don tire. If they can be translating cartoons in igbos it will change lot of things”
@shirt_galaxy:
“You are absolutely right, sir this is colonization, not civilization. It still baffles me how parents willingly send their children to schools where they are taught another man’s culture. By the time these children finish, they often forget their own roots and lose connection to their identity. They grow up believing the white man is superior to the black man, abandoning their culture and mother tongue the very essence of who they are. Yet, we still hope for a better Nigeria, even while raising generations of people who no longer believe in their own country.”
@ugegbe.official:”I’ve actually corrected mine, had to enroll them in a good public secondary school in Anambra, now they can speak Igbo very well”