Ga language under threat of decline as children shy away from speaking it – Sylvester Mensah

Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export-Import Bank (GEXIM), Sylvester Adinam Mensah

The Chief Executive Officer of Ghana EXIM Bank, Sylvester Adinam Mensah, has warned that the Ga language is coming under growing pressure, with some children hesitant to speak it and others unable to speak it at all.

Speaking as the Special Guest of Honour at the 10th anniversary celebration of Latenu Radio in La on Saturday, Mr Mensah said the increasingly cosmopolitan nature of Accra made it even more important for families and community institutions to pass the language on to younger generations.

“Many of our children understood it, but hesitated to speak it. Some cannot speak it at all,” he said.

The former La Dadekotopon MP said language was central to a people’s knowledge, identity and sense of belonging.

“Language is not just a way of speaking. It is a way of seeing,” he told the gathering.

“A people who lose their language slowly lose their memory. And a people without memory can easily lose their way,” he added.

Mr Mensah praised the station for using Ga in its news, music and discussions over the past decade.

He urged the station to sustain that effort and develop programmes that could help people who had lost the ability to speak Ga to learn or reconnect with the language.

The station marked its anniversary with a ceremony at which it presented awards to individuals recognised for their contributions to communities in La and the wider Ga traditional area.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.