That moment you have an idea and thoughts reverberating through your mind but cannot think of a satisfactory word for it and organizing the idea in an unequivocal manner, then it is assumed that one has been mentally enslaved (I stand to be corrected). Hmm! The English language was imposed by the British to keep one under subjugation and mental slavery, causing one to see the British lifestyle and system of education as superior to our native culture. It as tamed the mind from thinking afar, one is restricted to think within a limited confines. Obviously, I always seem dazed when I see large volume of books written by the westerners and there mastery of English and how they are so grounded in their writing skills, I admire such dexterity and wish to posses such prowess, then a friend responded by saying “it is their language, we borrowed their language and we began to undermine ours”. Common sense demands we grasp all aspect of life and embrace our native language. Practically, if English language is taught with native language it is easily understood rather taught directly. The language as become a prerequisite to make head way, parents even compel their wards by preventing them to speak vernacular, making the language appear unsatisfactory. Make a single grammatical error and then you will be seen as unlettered and attracting jest, this as been a tradition right from my college days. Our former first lady has really contributed immensely to our “home grown lexicon”, and has been severally impugned for her so called lack of command in English language, I will remain partial to her because , like most of us, English is not her first language, however be reminded that after your familiarity with the English language in Africa here you will still need to take a proficiency test like the GRE, TOEFL, for further studies abroad, and when you arrive there your English eloquence and articulacy still deems incomparable to theirs, hence that is a ‘strangers detector’, what impression does that give to you? As I still leave you to think, the western lifestyle as virtually permeated almost every aspect of our lives even to our mode of dressing, when you wear a suit, it is assumed you are corporate, portraying a civilized and educated person, hence you might be a point of focus if you decide to wear a local attire to an interview, or presenting an academic seminar. I am still trying to figure out how the usage of tie and suit will influence my intellectual prowess and how wearing local attire will deter me from thinking right.
Taking cognizance of the fact that we had an organized religious system known as the African religion, the Europeans, western sociologist and anthropologist gave disparaging view about our idea of God and moral system. on the other hand religion was used as tool by the Europeans to exploit the masses, if you are well versed with Karl Marxist theory, who view religion as the “Opium of the Masses” whereby if there is a gap of failure by the rulers whom the masses look up to for daily needs, they then decide to seek solace in religion when they have been disappointed. More so, it was used as an agent of de-politicization i.e. keeping people from seeing their lives and societal condition in political terms. Hence, religion often drugged the masses into submission by offering a consolation for their harsh lives on earth and hope for salvation in an ideal after life. Similarly, Christianity was introduced by the slave masters of the Native Americans and Europeans. Obedience to God was preached, mans obedience was also embedded in order to seek eternal life and salvation. Thus, it was a tool to instinct fear and helped them to perpetuate their patterns of social inequality. That view indeed stems from a sociological perspective as the idea is to see religion from a societal terrain thereby using a reductionist method. Thank God for the salvation of our souls as we are affiliated with various religions. Be that as it may, religion has been arm-twisted, and used as a tool for exploitation in time past and in contemporaneous by both secular and religious leaders who hide under the cloaks of religion to extort and exploit acolytes. Thus, the smokescreen must be cleared. In order to avoid expounding religion vulnerability as it is sensitive and volatile where by it as been turned into two edged sword i.e. cohesion and division as a result of mans failure of understanding it which as occasioned various crises we contend with today, causing a menace to our societal development, will be a topic for another day. By and large, we are still subjected to the European way of life, as we continue to adhere to the rules of concord and lexicon, we’ve decided to syncretize by bringing in our culture to the foreign religions as a means of survival, that is why we have indigenous churches. Some will hold the view that the Europeans brought civilization to us, were we not civilized before their coming? I so much admire the Chinese, for their resurgence, despite their civilization, their culture and language wasn’t eroded. No doubt, The Foreign languages as helped us to an extent in expression, and has also been one of the universal language like French, Arabic. It will suffice to embrace our own language, religion (African religion) and culture as it’s birthed with intrinsic values.