Globalization reshapes the world, often stripping away the roots of identity. For Africa, the struggle for cultural sovereignty is a battle for memory, meaning, and survival. Cinema in our own languages is a powerful tool in this fight, but it depends on a crucial foundation: education in the Mother Tongue. The government's recent decision to cancel this policy threatens not only our languages but the very future of our cultural expression.

Language is the heartbeat of identity. Our history is scarred by systematic erasure—colonial powers imposed foreign languages, displacing the tongues of our ancestors. Today, over 2,000 indigenous languages live across Africa, yet drift toward silence in public life. This policy reversal accelerates that decline, contradicting UNESCO research which shows children learn best in their first language. Canceling Mother Tongue instruction deepens inequality and severs young people from the linguistic heritage that shapes their worldview.

The cultural cost is severe. Screening works in Yoruba, Swahili, Igbo, and others at our festival is an act of validation—affirming that our languages are modern, dynamic, and capable of carrying the world's most complex narratives. Films like Supa Modo and the works of pioneers like Ousmane Sembène prove indigenous languages are vital to global art. This authenticity is rooted in fluency. Remove Mother Tongue instruction, and within a generation the chain is broken—oral traditions fade, and our cultural industries lose their lifeblood.

This week, as the Nigerian Film Corporation hosts the Zuma Film Festival with its deserved glitz and celebration, a critical opportunity presents itself. Beyond the screenings and ceremonies, the Corporation's management has a platform and a responsibility. They can seize this moment to bring to the front burner the far more salient matter of the recent policy reversal. They must bridge the gap between the Minister of Education and the Minister of Arts and Culture, demonstrating that language policy is not merely an educational concern but the bedrock of cultural production. The film industry—a cornerstone of Nigeria's soft power and economy—cannot thrive if the wellspring of its authentic voices is allowed to dry up in our classrooms.

Governments have a custodial duty to protect linguistic heritage, a responsibility enshrined in international agreements. By rescinding the Mother Tongue policy, the state contradicts proven educational practice, hastens language loss, and undermines creative sectors. Language is the infrastructure of thought and creativity. To dismantle it is to dismantle the future.

The alternative is clear. The policy must be reinstated and strengthened with investment in teacher training and modern learning materials. Film, literature, and media offer fertile ground for indigenous-language growth, blending cultural pride with economic opportunity.

A Yoruba proverb teaches: “Bí kìnnìún kò bá rìn, ode kì yóò mọ̀ ọ̀nà rẹ̀”—If the lion does not walk, the hunter will not know its path. Our languages are the lion's footprints. Erasing them from education forces the lion into hiding. It is time for our institutions, like the Nigerian Film Corporation at this very festival, to help the lion roar again—in our classrooms, our cinemas, and every arena where Africa decides its own future. 

The government must reverse this decision. Mother Tongue education is not a relic of the past, but the foundation upon which a confident, creative, and sovereign future is built.

By Osezua Stephen-Imobhio, Founder/Director, African Indigenous Language Film Festival, writes from Lagos.