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Nollywood actress and filmmaker Bimbo Thomas has urged Nigerian parents to be more intentional in teaching their children indigenous languages.
She stated that learning languages like Yoruba, Igbo, or Hausa will not hinder any Nigerian child from achieving success in life.
Bimbo revealed her son, Jayden Olanrewaju,’s love for Yoruba is both natural and nurtured, following his appearance on the popular Yoruba game show, “Masoyinbo.”
Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Bimbo Thomas, has called on Nigerian parents to become more deliberate in teaching their children indigenous languages such as Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa.
In a recent interview with Saturday Beats, Bimbo emphasized that being fluent in one’s native language has no negative impact on success. Her remarks followed the viral clip of her son, Jayden Olanrewaju, fondly called Ogbeni Ajadi, confidently introducing himself in Yoruba on the popular game show Masoyinbo.
The actress explained that her son’s fluency in Yoruba is a product of both nurture and natural interest. She revealed that she regularly speaks Yoruba to him at home, and that her late mother also played a role in instilling a love for the language.
“I often speak Yoruba to him, and my late mum called him Ajadi. He would always try to speak Yoruba with her, even if it wasn’t perfect. She made him understand the originality of the name, Ajadi. He just developed a natural passion for speaking Yoruba, blending it with the Queen’s English taught in school.
Bimbo addressed the perception among some Yoruba parents that encouraging their children to speak their native tongue could make them appear “local” or less refined.
More parents need to be intentional about passing on indigenous languages to their children. Growing up in Lagos Island, some Yoruba parents felt that encouraging their kids to speak Yoruba would make them look local or not classy. But Igbo parents around us always taught their children to speak both English and their mother tongue,” she said.
She went on to thank the organizers of Masoyinbo for giving Yoruba-speaking children a platform to proudly express their cultural identity.
“Thanks to ‘Masoyinbo’, his ability to recite numbers and deliver in Yoruba has improved. I was full of joy watching him. I’ve never been prouder,” she concluded.
Bimbo’s message has since resonated with many Nigerians, sparking discussions about the importance of preserving local languages in modern households.
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