By Efio-Ita Nyok|14 August 2015|5:12am
It's common knowledge that Cross River comprises 18 LGAs and that these LGAs are compressed into 3 Senatorial Districts, namely, Southern, Central and Northern senatorial districts for convenience of political administration. However, one commonly elusive fact is that these 3 senatorial districts have three prevailing modes of communication that are respectively unique to them despite the fact that there is a multiethnic colouration and English is the lingua franca.
It may interest you to know/remember that in 'the South' made of 7 LGAs the Efik dialect is dominant. Whereas, in 'the Central' which has 6 LGAs the Ejagham dialect is commonly spoken/understood whether its inhabitants are of the Ejagham speaking ethnicity or not. Also, in 'the North' comprising 5 LGAs the Bekwarra dialect is generally spoken/understood. Put differently, Efik, Ejagham and Bekwarra dialects are the three major languages in Cross River. It may therefore stand to reason then that one cannot validly claim to be a Cross Riverian if he/she cannot speak/write fluently in these three prevailing modes of communication. Conversely and culturally inferring, a true Cross Riverian should be that who can think, write and speak fluently in Efik, Ejagham and Bekwarra all at once. The exception should be that he/she should be able to use at least two of the above named dialects. One is unacceptable.
My justification for holding this latter position hinges on the obvious logic that if for instance I lay claim to being a Nigerian of Cross River origin/residency then I should be able to participate in 'the total way of life' -culture- particular to Cross River. Anything short of this makes my claim suspect. Language is a basic constituent of our culture being that it has been contended that it(language) is the distinguishing feature between humans and non-human animals. Human animals can express themselves in words either written or spoken. In language we preserve our culture.
In the penultimate paragraph I submitted that via language we express ourselves as humans. The question then becomes, what in ourselves do we actually express through language? We express 'thoughts'. Our thinking, that is the mental activity by which humans ask questions and process the object(s) of their thought is articulated through language. Conversely, as humans we cannot think without words. Accordingly, I think adequately as a Cross Riverian through the Efik, Ejagham and Bekwarra dialects. In doing this through English I experience a serious constrain. If the over 2 million Cross Riverians think alike (not the same thing as such) then unity ensues and the middle wall of partition created by ethnicity/tribalism fizzles. Who can imagine what the spirit of unity can help us accomplish as a 'united state'.
Implicit in the above observation is the trite fact that the English language imposes a challenge on an average African, Nigerian and Cross Riverian with regards to articulation. If i can't articulate my thoughts fluently then conversely, I may not be able to think adequately in a foreign dialect. Now if in a discussion it's discovered that I can't communicate to your understanding, then no fundamental relationship can be established. In other words, a foreign mode of expression/communication, English in our case, introduces disunity among Africans and by extension Nigerians and Cross Riverians. If for anything, the distinction of Cross River State into Atam and non-Atam speaking ethnicities is a testament to my conviction.
As I write, there are two cultural blocs in Cross River: the Atam and the non-Atam. This unwholesome distinction has even taken a political garb which is not to the best interest of the indigenes and inhabitants of our dear state. What you are now reading is a clarion call for change. A change from the English speaking Cross Riverian, who is neither an Englishman nor a proper Cross Riverian, to an Efik-Ejagham-Bekwarra speaking Cross Riverian who is an actual Cross Riverian with dexterity in English as an added advantage. I am looking for a multilingual Cross Riverian.
We all know how the English language came about: that is the language of slavery, colonialism and imperialism: It's the language of the exploiter against the exploited: it's the language of the oppressor against the oppressed! Part of the institutionalised disunity that obtains in Africa, Nigeria and Cross River hinges on the alien English language. Walter Rodney, that legendary Caribbean scholar and Guyanese political activist who authored the seminal piece: How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, is with me when he pointedly observed that the English language was not a mode of communication between fellow Africans but between the oppressor and the oppressed. English is the language of the oppressor and oppression.
It is the language of oppression because as Africans nay Cross Riverians we cannot adequately think or express ourselves in English. And we cannot sufficiently preserve our culture through it. We therefore are lost! If I cannot think, write or speak and preserve my culture properly in English then my being has been profoundly compromised. I am fundamentally under bondage. Who knows whether this is the reason for our collective backwardness culturally, politically and economically as a state, nation, continent and race.
It is high time we discover ourselves as Africans nay Nigerians and Cross Riverians. In discovering ourselves we must as a matter of urgency revert the present world order and evolve a new one that is consistent with our experience, progress and liberty. It is said that the French Revolution was fought in view of liberty, equality and fraternity. If they fought theirs, I think it's high time we fight ours! Consequently, we must begin that revolution by reintroducing the three major dialects -Efik, Ejagham and Bekwarra, into our primary and post-primary school curriculums.
In introducing these trio, it should be emphasised Efik should not just be thought in schools within southern senatorial district, Ejagham within central senatorial district and Bekwarra within northern senatorial district. The three should be taught in each and all senatorial districts. This will make a culturally consummate Cross Riverian. At least, if we are not contemplating an artificial language churned from these three at these stage of our cultural evolution, let these three be taught. Cross River should lead the way in this cultural revolution. We have always led in matters such as these.
As a way of demonstrating our commitment to this proposal, the Speaker John Gaul's House of Assembly should sponsor a bill institutionalising the teaching of Efik, Ejagham and Bekwarra in our schools. Beyond that, Sen. Prof. Ben Ayade should assent to such a bill and initiate policies to achieving that goal. In fact, Ayade should contemplate including this in his Signature Projects. Ayade's pet projects is overtly economic; we should be talking of social development as well. The earlier we act, the better for us. This is another clarion call for change.
