Umu Igbo Unite means children of Igboland unite. The Igbo people are one of the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria with approximately 32 million people. While we seek opportunities in a foreign land, younger generations are often lured away from their communities by educational or employment opportunities.
Once this occurs, due to the language being an essential feature of culture and identity, the youth often lose a sense of personal history and belonging. The lack of a common language creates many challenges for the elders of the community to teach the youth their people’s history, ancestral beliefs, values, systems, foods, animals, the history of their land, traditional medicines or kinship concepts. With studies showing that the Igbo language will become extinct within 50 years and being listed as an endangered language, we are dedicated to fostering the preservation of our culture by various means technology and community afford us. For us at UIU, it is important to preserve our cultural heritage, because it keeps our integrity as a people.