“Each language has its own window to the world. Every language is a living museum, a monument to every culture it has been a vehicle to. It is a loss to every one of us if a fraction of that diversity disappears when there is something that can be done to prevent it. Moreover, every people has a right to their own language, to preserve it as a cultural resource and to transmit it to their children.”

-Daniel Nettle and Suzanne Romaine – Vanishing Voices.

The following podcasts were recorded around 2007 with the help of Dan Fortune, a digital media consultant in San Jose, California. These conversations were inspired by a book that touched me profoundly – Vanishing Voices: The Extinction of the World’s Languages.

I’m a lover of languages. In my twenties I learned Spanish and became fluent enough to work as a bilingual customer service representative for two major corporations. I later earned a French degree from Cal-State East Bay, and eventually began learning Yoruba, the most studied African language in the world.

Vanishing Voices is alarming. The authors argue that ninety percent of the world’s languages are expected to disappear in the next one hundred years. Lost languages means lost knowledge. “Few people know that nearly 100 native languages once spoken in what is now California are near extinction or that most of Australia’s 250 aboriginal languages have vanished,” say the authors of Vanishing Voices.

“Allowing languages and cultures to die directly reduces the sum total of our knowledge about the world, for it removes some of the voices articulating its richness. With the passing of each voice, we lose a little more of who we were, who we are, and what we may become”.

– Daniel Nettle and Suzanne Romaine.

Closer to home, even though Yoruba is spoken by some 45 to 55 million people in Nigeria, Benin and Togo, it too, is on the list of endangered languages.

“A lot of people are not treating the Yoruba language as they would Spanish, English, Italian or French. They’re treating it like a local vernacular. They don’t realize it’s an international language. They don’t understand how vast it is. It’s important to the world.”

– Oloye Aikulola Iwindara

Special thanks to Daniel Fortune for helping me document these important voices and for also suggesting I work on a film. Also, special thanks to my friend, Tanya Lombardi, for encouraging me to keep these interviews on my website during a time when I assumed no one would notice if I removed them.

Finally, special thanks to the scholars who blessed me with their time and wisdom, and to the ancestors for leading the way.

The Interviews

Interview with James Weeks and Dr. Charles Finch, a medical doctor and expert on African healing traditions. In this episode, Dr. Finch, the former Director of International Health at Morehouse College, discusses the differences between African and Western healing traditions. He also shares profound experiences among the great healers of Senegal.

Interview with James Weeks and Dr. Daniel Nettle, linguist, anthropologist and co-author of Vanishing Voices: In this episode we discuss the crisis of endangered languages and the priceless knowledge that will be lost as languages continue to die.

Interview with James Weeks and Dr. Wande Abimbola, a world authority on Yoruba culture. In this episode, Dr. Abimbola discusses the growing global interest in Ifa and shares some of his core spiritual values. He also talks about the importance of spirituality, culture and language. A native of Nigeria, Dr. Abimbola is the author of “Ifa Will Mend our Broken World.”

Interview with James Weeks and Dr. Robert Voeks, ethnobotanist and author of Sacred Leaves of Candomble. In this episode, Dr. Voeks voices concern about the priceless medicinal and botanical knowledge that might be lost if the current trends of vanishing languages and cultures continue. He also discusses his research in Brazil.

Interview with James Weeks and Chief Fama, a well-known Yoruba priestess. In this episode, Chief Fama discusses Yoruba spirituality and culture. Based in San Bernadino, California, Chief Fama was born in Nigeria, West Africa and is the author of “Fundamentals of the Yoruba Religion” and five other books on Yoruba culture and spirituality.

Interview with James Weeks and Oloye Aikulola: a native of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, Aikulola is one of the few people in the western hemisphere that has achieved fluency in the Yoruba language. He has been traveling to Nigeria since 1998, and describes the Yoruba language as a “deep well” of more than 30 dialects. Language, he says, provides a glimpse into spirituality.

“I realized long ago that the language is essential to understanding the Yoruba philosophy, the ritual practices, and the oral literature and poetry of the deities,” says Aikulola, who also goes by the name Nathan Lugo. “I also wanted to communicate with the folks in my community.”

How long did it take Aikulola to become fully fluent? About ten years, he says. “What’s holding people back from learning the language is a set of beliefs that have been ingrained in people that it’s too difficult or there’s no way to speak it.”

Too often, says Aikulola, folks in our tradition feel “it’s not important. I don’t need to speak the language. ‘Am I going to be speaking African in Harlem.’ That lets you know the level of understanding in our community. They don’t understand the importance of the language. They have no need for it, according to them.”

His advice to those aspiring to learn Yoruba is to take advantage of all resources and to be dedicated and committed. “We need to stick to our guns and goals and don’t waver,” he says.

Interview with James Weeks and Chief Dayo Ologundudu. Chief Dayo was James’s first Yoruba language instructor in Oakland, California. James recalls attending Dayo’s class only to find he was the only student who showed up consistently. In this interview, Dayo and James talk about the global language crisis and its implications for humanity.