Linguistic imperialism is the worst colonial policy in the human world. In Africa, its brutality penetrates beyond linguistic boundary, deep into the culture, religion, and educational policy. The Hausa resistance to the unhealthy policy is well pronounced in their orature and literary traditions. The cruel colonial language policy inflicts severe injury into the indigenous African languages which opened up the wound to the wicked virus of endangerment to the languages in all the colonies. Hausa being among the first class African languages was the desire target of the
British war on language endangerment. The British fire brigade approach to impose English in Hausa colony was critically rejected by the subjects. The militant effort to officialize English language in colonial Hausa courts and palaces failed through in ugly shape. All the deceits to smuggle English language in churches and mosques in the name of God yielded no positive result. Consequently, Western Education (Boko) assumed to be the last hope to the imperialists. To their dismay, Boko policy proves to be added advantage to Hausa language in all capacities of human development. This paper is an attempt to peep through the failure of the British colonial language policy to interrupt Hausa advancement in sub-Saharan Africa and its consequences to their disadvantage. As at 21st century, Hausa is the leading African language in academia, media services and beyond. It is very fair to say, it is high time in Nigeria to Hausanize Boko education in Hausaland for the equation to be balanced. The prayer is; this is the right forum to sell the idea through. In God we trust.
Professor Aliyu Muhammad Bunza[1]
[1] Department of Nigerian Languages,UsmanuDanfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria
Email: mabunzHYPERLINK “mailto:[email protected]”[email protected]
