Mother Tongue Day: NGO Calls for Ibani Language Resource Center, Linguistic Identity

Ahead of the International Mother Language Day on February 21, the Ibani Language Development Initiative (ILDI) says there is the need to establish a language resource center aimed at marshalling efforts at resuscitation of the Ibani Language. 

Executive Director of ILDI, Herbert Pepple said this on Thursday, February 15, 2024 during a courtesy visit by a delegation from the organization to the Bonny Chiefs Council (BCC) at the King Perekule Palace, Bonny, Rivers State. 

The delegation, which was led by the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Ibani Language Development Initiative, Amaopusenibo Fred Pepple, had a Board of Trustees member and Chairman of the Ibani Language Committee, Amasenibo Vivian Brown, Chaplain of Let’s Speak Ibani, retired Reverend Canon Edward Pepple, and Amaopusenibo Jolly Jumbo.

Pepple stated that this initiative needs to be driven by the Bonny Chiefs Council being the statutory custodian of the Ibani Language, pointing out that this would encourage Kingdom-wide action and engagements geared towards achieving this objective.

He further stated that the establishment of the Ibani Language Resource Center will support research, training and development and support of teachers, regular Ibani classes, cultural activities and an Ibani language library.

Pepple, who is also the founder of Let’s Speak Ibani, a virtual platform for the learning and promotion of the Ibani language, proposed that the Ibani Language Resource Center should be domiciled at the Bonny Kingdom Heritage Center.

He noted the Center will provide a library, a language studio, a craft center and hall for Ibani lesson and intergenerational activities and offices for the work of the Initiative.

He called for the development and resuscitation of the Ibani Language to be part of the Bonny Kingdom development plan as a critical element of sociocultural fabric of the people, emphasizing the natural role of the people to work to sustain their own heritage and linguistic identity.

The Ibani language resuscitation advocate pleaded with the Chiefs to pursue alliances with development partners and strategic funding targeted at development of the Ibani language, stressing the need for legislation to strengthen the use of Ibani in all schools in Bonny and in the various communities.

Responding, Chairman of the Bonny Chiefs Council (BCC), Se-Alabo Dagogo Claude-Wilcox thanked the organisation for its activities in Bonny, acknowledging the dwindling state of the Ibani language, promising to look into the ILRI requests and appeals.

He assured of the BCC’s readiness to work with the ILRI within its capacity, noting that supporting efforts aimed at strengthening the Ibani Language is beneficial to the Kingdom and for posterity.

The visit was part of activities lined up to mark the 2024 International Mother Language Day on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, which include the maiden edition of the Ibani Language Spelling Bee competition among junior secondary schools in Bonny billed to hold at Government Girls Secondary School, Finima, Bonny.

Other events include an Evening of Folklore, Stories, Songs and Dance in Ibani at the Women’s Hall, Bonny by 4pm same day.