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

Speaking at the 10th anniversary celebration of community radio station Latenu FM in La on Saturday, September 25, the former La Dadekotopon MP expressed concern that some children understood Ga but hesitated to speak it, while others could not speak the language at all. Recalling the stories, songs and proverbs passed down by earlier generations, Mr Mensah added: “They were passing on wisdom. They were passing on pride.” He urged Latenu FM to consider programmes that would help young people learn Ga and discover the history of their towns, institutions and local figures.

“Let no child grow up … without knowing the story of the land beneath their feet,” he said. Mr Mensah praised the station for keeping the Ga language on the airwaves over the past decade and encouraged it to expand its programmes to podcasts, streaming platforms and social media to reach younger listeners, including those living abroad. “You have reminded our young that our language is not old-fashioned.