OLU NNE M

Ugonma Nwachukwu was born in November of 2021 in Florida, USA. There weren’t and still isn’t any Igbo speaking people/community around where she lives. She was only able to learn her native language through her parents. They facilitated and encouraged her language learning by making their home an English free environment. Her parents spoke only Igbo to each other and to Ugonma. It became the only language she heard, which in turn became the only language she understood and the only language she spoke. According to Ugonma’s mum, in Nigeria, English is the official language. However, English is the second language. Each tribe had their own languages and kids spoke those languages at home. English was learned in schools in Nigeria, not through the parents and that is what she wants for her daughter; for English to quite literally be her second language. At 2 years old, Ugonma has learned about her native tongue through lots of readings with her mum, singing nursery rhymes, listening to Igbo songs and lots of play learning. Ugonma is the ‘ada’ (first daughter) in her family, and will continue to pass on her knowledge of the Igbo language to her younger ones. For now, she will continue to enjoy her mum’s many Igbo readings while enjoying a banana.