Review By Malata Andrew Zakayo
The Tangle ancestors had carved out a path for themselves as a people and as a nation but today the progress and future of the Tangle man (generic man inclusive of male and female) as an individual and as a nation looks bleak. Sustaining the Tangle man in You: The Pride of Mother Tongue Vol. 1 is a wakeup call to all Tangle sons and daughters to arise and to sustain the visions and aspirations of our forefathers as the author says that “The better and earlier we accept our being, the better….” and “It is a wonderful experience to be clothed in a Tangle body, with a Tangle colour….”
The book targets the Tangle man irrespective of clan, age or discipline but more to the elders probably because the author is a youth who sees and feels that the elders have let the youth down. As humans, it is easier to see the speck in another’s eye than the log in one’s eye. This is buttressed by the following classical quotations that say: ‘To solve a problem, you have to recognize your share of responsibility. If you only blame others, you will never solve it’ – anonymous; ‘People like to blame others. I think a person should just look at their own situation, look around them, find out what they wish to do, and seek and go and do that. And that’s it’ – Conor McGregor. In spite of this, there is something for everyone in this book.
The issues that have been highlighted in this book presents the pathetic state of the Tangle individual and nation in that today, the Tangles have been relegated to the background in Gombe State and Nigeria where they had immensely contributed to the progress and development of Gombe State and Nigeria.
The entire book touches on salient factors that have weakened the Tangle nation over the years and calls us to retrace our steps as the technological know-how at our disposal in the modern society presents us with vast opportunities for development, progress and sustainability of the Tangle Man.
One of the major salient factors of the mother tongue where the author says, “Realistically, your mother tongue should come first as your primary language and any other thousand languages can follow.” (Let me pause here to take a census of those Tangle sons and daughters whose mother tongue is their primary language, even me the speaker is found wanting here). The author went on to portray how Bala, a Hausa man, was contagious with his language in the native land of English language and concluded that, “It is not civilization to reject or be ashamed of our language or mother tongue. It is a tomfool thing…” Therefore, one thousand eight hundred and thirteen Tangle names are presented in this book to that effect. This enables us to see that there are Tangle names that when used they can portray the language and sustain our pride in our mother tongue. This is because wherever we go,
people would want to know where the name comes from, who these language speakers are and where they are found.
The way the author presents his work is interesting. He uses a mixture of formal and informal expressions as he personalizes ideas. Also, he uses direct address as well as interposes it with Pidgin English to enrich the book.
The book contains eighty-seven (87) pages excluding the preliminary pages. There is an introduction and eight chapters. Each of the chapters interestingly addresses a particular aspect of the Tangle man. There is also the bibliography at the end. The front cover encodes the title and the back cover gives a brief on the author.
I was particularly challenged by how the author succinctly portrayed our weakness as a Tangle individual and as a nation in the chapter titled ‘the strength in unity’ which, to my mind, is what is greatly affecting the Tangle nation.
I hope that as many Tangles as read this book would pick up the challenge and strive to see the progress of the Tangle man, the Tangle people and the Tangle nation for posterity.
Every Tangle son and daughter should start to show their pride by having a copy of this book: Sustaining the Tangle Man in You: The Pride of Mother Tongue as a catalyst to awaken and sustain the Tangle man in him/her.
https://www.africaprimenews.com/2018/02/11/books/book-review-power-of-sacrifice/