The President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Most Rev. Mathew Kwasi Gyamfi has highlighted the inadvertent role of Bono Twi-speaking people in contributing to the potential extinction of their language by not actively using it.
In his address, he urged them to take responsibility for the preservation and growth of the Bono language and culture by speaking it proudly and consistently.
Most Rev. Gyamfi, who is also the Bishop of Sunyani, made these remarks during the launch of the Bono Two Project in Sunyani, the capital of the Bono Region.
The project is designed, among other objectives, to promote the usage of the Bono language and advocate for its inclusion in Ghana’s national educational curriculum.
“Promoting Bono language and culture should not merely be about speaking the language. It is essential to embrace and share the rich heritage that comes with it,” he said, expressing his support for the introduction of Bono language studies in schools across Bono-speaking regions.
The Bono Regional Minister, Joseph Addae Akwaboa, also expressed his support for the Bono Twi Project.
He pledged to assist in rehabilitating office spaces donated by the Bono Regional House of Chiefs for the Bonoman Institute, a key player in the project’s efforts.
William Sabi, the Board Chairman of the Bonoman Institute, lamented the decline of the Bono language, once considered the foundational language of the region, while neighboring dialects such as Fante and Asante Twi continue to thrive.
He urged all Bono people to support the Bonoman Institute’s mission to restore the Bono language to its rightful place in Ghanaian society.
“The Bono language, which was once the first language, is on the decline, while Fante and Asante, which originated from it, are flourishing. We must unite to protect and elevate our language,” Sabi stated.
Other prominent speakers at the event included Professor Kwabena Sarfo Kantanka of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Okoyeredom Sakyi Arko, Vice President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs, and the Deputy Director of the Ghana Bureau of Languages.
They all emphasised the importance of the Bono Twi Project, urging the Bono people to rally behind it for the cultural and socio-economic development of the region.
In many areas of the Bono Region, Asante Twi has become more widely spoken than the indigenous Bono Twi.
However, the Bonoman Institute is committed to reversing this trend by promoting the Bono language and ensuring it takes its rightful place both in Ghana and on the global stage.
The Bono language, primarily spoken in the Bono and Bono East regions of Ghana, is at the heart of the Bono Twi Project.
Through this initiative, the Bonoman Institute and its collaborators hope to inspire Bono people to embrace their language with pride and work towards having it included as an examinable subject in schools. The launch of the project was attended by students and people from all walks of life.
During the event, copies of Bono language books, including the New Testament, were unveiled. The Bonoman Institute, through its research, advocacy, lobbying, and activism efforts, is dedicated to the development of the Bono people and their heritage.
Reporting by Daniel Donkor in the Bono Region
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