The following article from the Johannesburg paper, Sunday Times, was seen on the paper's site (URL below) and on AllAfrica.com (at http://allafrica.com/stories/200610090707.html ). There are some interesting comments on language in Africa in the latter half... DZO
South Africa: English Has a Lot to Say, But Mother Can Chip in Too Sunday Times (Johannesburg) http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/Articles/TarkArticle.aspx?ID=2274492 October 8, 2006 WHEN a group of white students painted their faces black on Thursday, and proceeded to the Union Buildings where they handed in a memorandum asking to be classified African, they made some of us sit up and listen; others laughed derisively at what they called an "attention-seeking" gimmick. Indeed, the young students were seeking attention. Theirs is a cry for a sense of belonging in a country that is so fluid no one knows whether we are coming or going; and if we are indeed going, what the destination is. Their argument is that, on the basis of their complexion, they are being discriminated against through affirmative action and black economic empowerment. I do not necessarily agree with the core of their argument, but theirs is a cry neverthe less. The cry for a sense of belonging manifests itself in many ways in our society -- from teenagers committing suicide because they "feel misunderstood"; to men who, convinced that the dominant culture is paying more heed to women's rights than to men's anguish, decide to turn guns on their loved ones before killing themselves. Everyone wants to be listened to. There is in this country an ongoing language debate, with some people observing that English, being the language of business, should be given primacy over other languages. This argument is flawed as it assumes that people are saying we must stick to indigenous languages at the expense of English. No. There is a need for us to strike a balance. It has been done in other countries. In fact it has been done in this country. Many of us who are products of Bantu Education are equally proficient in our native tongues as we are equally fluent in English. Many Afrikaners have also been able to master this balance between their taal and "the language of business". I, therefore, do not see why other languages should not enjoy the same protection and support as Afrikaans. To paraphrase Ngugi wa Thiong'o, the Kenyan writer and academic, a nation's identity and virtues are profoundly expressed through its cultural activities, that is, of song, dance, poetry and the literary arts generally. And these activities are generally influenced by the language they are executed in. Many readers will know Wa Thiong'o as the novelist who is an important link between the pioneers of African writing and the younger generation of post-colonial writers. Alive to this responsibility that had been foisted upon him by fate and history, Wa Thiong'o, in 1986, said that he would henceforth be writing his novels in his native Kikuyu, and not the English language through which he had introduced himself to the world. His comments were dismissed as nonsense, with everyone saying he would not be able to live up to that radical statement. In 1987, he released his novel Matigari in Kikuyu. Impressed by its popularity, his publisher asked him to have it translated into English. He did. And the novel received critical acclaim. We thought he couldn't do it again. It was said there was no market for books written in indigenous languages. But right now, I am reading his latest novel, by all accounts the most ambitious book in his ouvre. Wizard of the Crow, which came out a few weeks ago, was first written in Kikuyu -- then translated into English. At 678 pages it's a heavy book -- in all senses. The argument that there is no market for books published in native languages has been used in this country, hence the lack of these texts in our shops. And not a long time ago the commentators were also saying Zulu language newspapers were a dying breed -- English had taken over. While the circulation of English-language papers is static at best, Zulu titles are growing. Isolezwe, a daily Zulu-language newspaper, launched with a circulation of 32000 in 2002. Today it sells 91316, while UmAfrika, a quality read -- some would say a Mail & Guardian for Zulu readers -- is selling 32000, having been relaunched in 2003 from a title that had been sequestrated. Clearly more people are reading in their native tongues. It took commitment on the part of newspaper publishers to explore this market, and build it. It can be done in book publishing as well. This might be costly in the short term but quite rewarding later. True, you can't compare books and newspapers as these demand varying levels of monetary investment. But once you create a platform for all languages, and give them support -- and government is crucial here -- they can only flourish. Side by side, they can influence each other. To prove this point, contemporary South African English dictionaries are awash with words appropriated from other local languages: donga, umfaan, veld, and the ubiquitous eish. When writers like Wa Thiong'o, Chinua Achebe, Michael Ondaatje, write in English, it is not in an attempt to imitate Englishmen. Like Amos Tutuola before them, they bring a new imagery and energy, a new idiom to what is essentially a foreign tongue. And their mastery of their mother tongue arms them with that ability to appropriate and embrace English, as many of us have done, without negating their own linguistic heritages. Everyone wants to be listened to, on their terms ... in their tongue. Ask Andre Brink, who writes in both English and Afrikaans. Copyright © 2006 Sunday Times. All rights reserved. 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