GBENGA ADENIJI writes that subdued
by the Internet age, letter writing has
lost its value as a means of
communication among lovers Like a fairy tale, there was a time when
letter writing reigned supreme as an
effective communication mode.
Among lovebirds, the exchange of love
letters was a constant pastime.
These letters, emotionally-crafted, were often a treasure to the receiver.
Common phrases like-You are the only
sugar in my tea; you are the only
cockroach in my cupboard; you are the
only flower in my garden; I drop my pen in the basket of love, among others, were often used to the delight of the recipients of the letters.
Many people still keep the love letters
they received so many years ago even
though they may not be married to the writer. Such was the power of love
letters.
A client service officer with a Lagos-
based firm, Bukola Akingbola, says the
allure of love letters in relationships
cannot be compared to any of the
newest means of communication.
“I appreciate love letters so much. I
remember that I once got one from an
admirer while I was in the secondary
school,” she says.
According to her, whenever the going
got tough in her relationship then, she
used to take out the letters to
remember when the going was good.
Also, Olumide Olasunkanmi, who works in a hospital, says he was always joyful when he wrote or received a love letter from an admirer. He remembers vividly how he was excited 20 years ago, when
he got his first love letter from a girl.
He states that he placed the letter on
his chest for minutes and cuddled it like a baby. Twenty years after, he
remembers the exact words in the
letter.
“She wrote: ‘You are such a gentle
young guy. A responsible lady like me
must not miss a guy like you. I feel the
pleasure whenever you visit our home
with your piano. I will want you to sing
me many lovely songs especially your
adaptation of Ebenezer Obey’s Olomi
Jowo Jeka ma Gbadun. I am proud of
you for wining our school debate
competition,” he says.
But suddenly, like a candle in the wind, love letters are no more.
Akingbola, says the advent of the Short Message Service and the new
technological breakthroughs in
communication have taken the shine off love letters.
Her position was supported by a
copywriter, Akeem Akinniyi, who posits that telephones have discouraged the idea of love letters.
He explains that people find it easy to
send a text message or put a call to
their loved ones rather than engage in
letter writing.
“The last time I wrote a love letter was
in 1996. It is too old-fashioned in
modern times. More so, teenagers have more freedom now unlike some years ago, when keeping late nights was forbidden. Nowadays, you see many youths roaming the streets at odd hours. Going by these realities, you wonder ‘Why play Romeo?’”
Though communication inventions have discouraged letter writing, a computer engineer, Bolaji Adekunle, says academic laziness on the part of youths was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Adekunle, says most of the words
contained in text messages are
grammatically-flawed.
He says, “Letter writing requires
competence. It is unlike SMS, where
words can be abbreviated and the
reader will not bother.”
A teacher, Samuel Sodeinde, connects
the arrival of telephones and social
media to the death of letter writing. He submits that pupils no longer find it interesting to engage in letter writing when they have the latest
communications gadgets.
Sodeinde says, “I encourage them to
write so as to revive the pitiable state of letter writing in schools. During
comprehension lessons, I often urge
them to write and even assure them
that if what they write put them into
trouble, I will defend them. It is my view that the more they write, the more they will see their mistakes and adjust.
“There is no way they can write well if
we concentrate on other
communication methods. The coming of mobile telephones and social media has affected the fortunes of letter writing and any other type of letters.”
A Professor of Economics, Folayan Ojo,
observes that it is not only letter writing that has been endangered but also the making and buying of Christmas and birthday cards. He says, rather than purchase any of these cards for loved ones during celebrations, many now prefer to send SMS.
Such development, according to the 71-year-old don, has led to the breakdown in character values, spelling errors and poor performance in examinations.
“Generally, because of the advent of
development in Information
Communication Technology, email,
Skype, SMS and all the social
networking sites such as Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube-where one can upload
videos, people no longer write letters.
“This situation has a negative effect on youths who cannot write good English because of their inability to write either formal or informal letters.”
The lecturer recalls how he used to
communicate via letters with his white
girlfriend when he was still studying in
Canada.
“I would use a blue writing pad to write to her. It used to be fun in those days especially during Christmas. That was from 1965 to 1968, during my
undergraduate days. Since there was no mobile phone to communicate with her, we resorted to exchanging messages through letters,” he says.
A dealer in second-hand books, Silas
Ibinife, who once sold love, Christmas
and birthday cards, states that he
abandoned the business when he
noticed that the patronage was
drastically dropping.
Ibinife adds that when it dawned on
him that people prefer to send SMS and emails to buying cards, which they would eventually throw away, he opted for another trade.
A programme officer of a Lagos-based
non-governmental organisation,
Francesca Abiola, expresses similar
views. According to her, new methods
of communication such as instant
messages and SMS have relegated
letter writing to the background. Abiola states that the new methods are faster and timely compared to letters especially if they have to be posted.
She says, “There is speed of delivery
with these modern means of
communication. You can send an email
or SMS and get a reply immediately. If
you have to post a letter, it may take
some days before it gets delivered and
you have to wait again for a reply.”
To Oluwakemi Fashoto, a health
administrator, people are no longer
interested in putting pen to paper and
pouring out their feelings.
Fashoto states that people are now lazy in writing, particularly, for the youth who she says, find it convenient to delete a SMS after reading.
She says, “One can also clear chat after a lengthy chat session on the phone; but “deleting” a love letter on paper is cumbersome. If one tears and throws it into a dustbin, an inquisitive mother will pick and read. Set it on fire then a nosy daddy will want to know what’s burning.
“Nowadays, one finds it easier to pour
out one’s feelings via phone. I will feel
honoured and valued If I am to receive a love letter in this age because I know
what it takes to write out one’s feelings.
Although I can’t remember the last time I received a love letter.”
A professor of Psychology at the
Department of Psychology, Faculty of
Social Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile Ife, Oluwatoba
Elegbeleye, says he does not believe
that people no longer write love letters.
The lecturer notes that there are new
modern alternatives to writing love
letters which he says are easier, less
cumbersome, faster and convenient.
Elegbeleye adds that technology has
taken relationships to a very high level.
“In social sciences where we like to
verify facts, we cannot absolutely
conclude on that. I will rather say
people no longer use the missive form
because we are operating a ‘noodle’
world where people send text messages and emails. From another angle, people now read and write less. But they still communicate love through other modern channels,” he states.
Perhaps, letter writing did not envisage what lay in stock for its future when the first mobile telephone call was placed in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, on
June 17, 1946 from a telephone set
installed in an automobile. The feat was the product of over a decade work by Bell Labs scientists Alton Dickieson, D. Mitchell and H.I. Romnes. Then in April 3, 1973, a Motorola researcher and executive, Martin Cooper, made the first mobile telephone call from a handheld subscriber equipment, calling Dr. Joel S. Engel of Bell Labs.
Interestingly, letter writing may not be
the only one facing this challenge of the ‘once-courted bride.’ The SMS which, despite marking its two decade in December 2012, after it changed the way people interact with each other, is believed to be facing threat from Twitter and other forms of instant
messaging.

SOURCE: www.punchng.com/feature/love-letters-going-going-gone/

A typical love letter...