The People’s Republic of China has produced its first Yoruba textbook titled ‘Ede Yoruba’, as the Asian country begins the study of Nigeria’s indigenous language.
The textbook is currently used by students of the Beijing Foreign Studies University, where Yoruba is now being taught as a foreign language.
Reports reveal that the Yoruba textbook was published three years ago after China began the study of the Yoruba language. It was reportedly developed by a Nigerian professor Goke Alamu and three US professors who teach Yoruba online.
Speaking on the launch of the Yoruba textbook in China, Professor Alamu said,
“I am just very happy because this is the first Yoruba textbook in China. I could have been in China since then but for the lockdown. So, I started online teaching for their students after writing the syllabus and the approval. Later, the university got approval from the government, and a publishing company was approved for the publication of the first Yoruba textbook for students.”
The launch of the Yoruba textbook in China is a remarkable step taken by the Asian country, to promote its cultural and linguistic diversity.
Notably, the Yoruba language has continued to be the most widely spoken language outside Nigeria and Africa. It’s been estimated that there are over 40 million Yoruba primary and secondary language speakers across the globe.
SOURCE: Legit news
PHOTO: City Voice
