The following opinion article from the Kampala daily The Monitor was seen on AllAfrica.com at http://allafrica.com/stories/200502230950.html .
The title does not convey what I see as the interest of the article - an appeal to respect Uganda's and Africa's multilingual character in the face of language policies that often are based on a monolingual paradigm. It's a topic that seems to merit discussion in Africa as well as other regions: Does a common language or lingua franca have to eliminate other tongues? Can a society function and thrive with many languages? DZO Kiswahili: No General Application The Monitor (Kampala) http://www.monitor.co.ug/ OPINION February 24, 2005 Posted to the web February 23, 2005 Kintu Nyago Kampala >From my experience with East and Southern African cities, Kampala and Johannesburg are the more culturally plural, that is in terms of language diversity. With inhabitants freely expressing themselves in any of their languages that they deem fit, rather than being constrained to relate to each other in one State-imposed lingua franca. And this is a strength that adds to the cosmopolitan outlook and cultural tolerance of these two post conflict societies. On the other hand, the language policies of a number of our neighbours, notably Sudan with Arabic and Kenya and Tanzania with Kiswahili, have led to cultural-cide. This has undermined their numerous indigenous languages. In societies that lack the written record, like ours, language is our main repository of culture - a point also made recently by Sauda Namyalo, a Buganda Kingdom official, while commenting on the "Vagina Monologues" controversy. That is why in a democratic and plural Uganda, we should find as deeply perturbing the constitutional change recommendation of the Ssempebwa Commission, stating that "The State should take steps to intensify the teaching of Kiswahili in schools and popularizing it in all areas of Uganda." And continues: "Kiswahili should be developed as the lingua franca to foster integration in the East Africa region." More disturbing was Cabinet's response to this lofty recommendation, in its White Paper, when they stated that "Government agrees with the recommendation and ... this should be reflected in Article 6 of the Constitution." Now unlike in Tanzania and Kenya, in Uganda Kiswahili is a foreign language. So why commit cultural-cide, moreover through our own elected government and taxes? In a country where resources are extremely scarce, would it not be better and much more democratic and sustainable to apply these same resources for the purpose of preserving and developing our own age-old and rich languages and culture? That is our main six or so languages - for instance Runyoro-Rutoro, Luo, Ateso, Runyakore-Rukiga, Lugbara and Luganda. None of the world's major languages developed on their 'own'. In Africa, take the examples of English, French, Arabic, Kiswahili and Afrikaans. Not only were most of these imposed from above through the State, but they were concurrently generously bestowed with public resources for their development! Of course at the expense of other equally deserving indigenous languages! What an undemocratic model! For instance in Uganda all formal educational institutions, from nursery school to Makerere and other Universities, have a mandatory English teacher and Department, where thought, time and financial resources are enormously invested to propagate and develop this language. The Tanzanian government under Mwalimu Nyerere, way back in the early 1960s, established an elaborate linguistic institute for the sole purpose of enhancing the viability of Kiswahili. While in South Africa under Apartheid, the Afrikaner Nationalist regime ensured that Afrikaans, hitherto regarded as a primitive language of the rural Boers, emerged as a truly international language of science and culture. All in a span of only fifty years. Through in part ensuring that a number of their premier universities such as Stellenbosch and Pretoria, exclusively used it as a language of instruction. As we debate the White Paper recommendation, there is need to ponder on the question as to whether it was by accident that hitherto Kiswahili had not been adopted as a Ugandan national language. Or was this non-adaptation a result of our being a 'backward' people, that is compared to our more conformist neighbours? None of the above. The answer lies with the fact that we have always had considerable differences with our neighbours, dating back to the pre-colonial era. For instance Uganda had the highest concentration of centralized authority State led societies in this region. And this led to its own dynamics. It, for instance, hindered marauding Tippu Tipu- type Swahili, Arab and Zanzibari merchant capitalists, mainly engaged in the lucrative slave trade business, from penetrating this region with a free hand. When introduced in the court of Kabaka Suuna in the 1850s and later during the reigns of Muteesa I and Chwa Kabalega, in Buganda and Bunyoro-Kitara respectively, Kiswahili was a welcome cultural experience and a medium of communication with the outside world, but on the terms of our people. That is without it's being imposed on them. A change of heart, seems to have emerged when the colonialists, in their usual disrupting and imposing manner, suggested that Kiswahili becomes the de-facto national language. This was resisted. The spirit of this resistance is well captured in a 1921 Essay, on this subject, written by Sir Daudi Chwa, contained in D.A Low's classical text, "The Mind of Buganda". The intensity of this resistance led to the colonialists developing 'cold feet', on this issue. Surprisingly Milton Obote, during his two tenures in office, found no time to impose Kiswahili on the Ugandan people. He was perhaps too occupied with regime survival to engage this collision course. On the other hand, his regimes' brutality went a long way in undermining the case of this language in this country. With intimidating phrases as Kaa Chini, Fungua Mulango, Wewe Nani, Nyamaza, Simama, etc increasingly being identified with the brutality of the Uganda Army, General Service Unit, State sponsored Kondoism and eventually the UNLA and NASA etc. It is Idi Amin during the late 1970s who actually decreed that Kiswahili becomes a national language. But even Amin was pragmatic enough not to pursue this further, and his policy, in effect, never proceeded much beyond the paper on which it was signed! It has been argued that having one common language would create national cohesion and unity. Unfortunately this is a simplistic and reductionist argument. Otherwise how come the current crisis in Darfur all speak Arabic, or Somalia with Somali, and more tragically with the attempted genocides in Rwanda and Burundi where Kinyarwanda and Kirundi are the languages spoken by all? Alternatively, does the same argument assume that the new and democratic South Africa with eleven national languages, ten of whom including Afrikaans, are indigenous African, or Uganda with its hitherto accommodative language policies or for that matter Nigeria and Ethiopia or Ghana, amidst all their problems, are the most conflict prone societies in the world? Of course not! It has also been argued that a regional language like Kiswahili would promote regional integration. Now how come the EAC with its mono language mindset collapsed in the late 1970s while ECOWAS and SADC with plural language policies consistently struggled on? How about the bustling 60 or so years ever expanding European Union, viewed as a model for integration, but with more official languages than member states? Is it about to collapse tomorrow? Uganda should adopt a democratic, accommodative and truly empowering language policy that accords our main indigenous languages, national status and State support. As is the case in South Africa, Ethiopia and Eritrea. This in turn will create a cultural renaissance, genuine development and national cohesion. Indeed as our own recent experience since the late 1980s to date illustrates. -- ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater? Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/pkgkPB/SOnJAA/Zx0JAA/TpIolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AfricanLanguages/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
