Language is a critical tool for communication, especially in moments of urgency or Crisis.
My story highlights the potential dangers of language barriers when vital information must be conveyed. So my story goes like this.
On a Sunday in Owo, after returning from church, a critical event unfolded, a bomb blast at a Catholic Church. I did not hear any information about the bomb blast because my phone went off, and I was hungry so I decided to go out to get something to eat because I was very hungry,My neighbor, "Mama," who spoke only Yoruba, tried to warn me not to go outside. However, because i did not understand Yoruba, I went out unaware of the danger.
The streets were unusually quiet, stores were closed, and the atmosphere was tense. Eventually, when I was going to the express I encountered police officers, who informed me about the bomb blast and advised me to return home for safety that no store will open today, so I left and went back home to sought my self out. In the evening of it when I on my phone, I was seeing text messages from my friend and family asking me if am okey, so i reply all their messages and i told them am okey, not just okey that am good and Fyn, so i only told my parent what really happen to me.
Days later, Mama’s daughter humorously recounted that her mother had tried to warn me, but the language barrier had prevented effective communication, so she started laughing me and mama that our two are really funny, so i told mama daughter to pls give mama one of her child to stay with mama not just bcos of me also Incase of next time, and also i decided to learn the language through mama daughter and also i bought yoruba translation book with english. Before Mama daughter travel back to her place I was able to understand little and speak Yoruba.
This situation underlines how important it is to understand and speak the local language, especially during emergencies. Learning Yoruba became a priority for me afterward, to avoid missing out on critical information in the future. In areas where different languages and dialects are spoken, being multilingual can be a life-saving skill, enhancing both personal safety and community connection, so I decided to share this to my follow hive Naija community, always try to learn language when you found your self in a new environment becauses it very importance, and it all everybody that understand our general language which is english especially old people.
In conclusion, local language proficiency is not just culturally enrichingit can be essential in crisis management and communication, making it easier to share urgent warnings, directions, and vital information that could prevent harm.
About the author.
A writer that is here, there anywhere ready to learn
A writer that found passion for writing
A writer having fun
A writer who have got other hobbies apart from writing which is travelling
A writer who love to set and achieve goals
Thanks for reading I hope you found this useful.