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Article by Malibongwe Mtima
East London - The Eastern Cape province’s education department two-day Language Indaba held in East London started today on a high not as speakers voiced frustration on the current language trend which seem to be compromising the indigenous languages of the country despite the Constitution prescribing such to happen.
Addressing the two-day Language Indaba in his home language, the President of the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa, Chief Phathekile Holomisa urged the ruling party African National Congress (ANC) to invest in developing and advancing the Xhosa heritage and culture through language. The rather cool-headed Holomisa cautioned of mental slavery that seems to be eating the black nation as they have abandoned their indigenous languages for Western language - English, terming it the ‘globalization of languages’.
“Our local parliament is supposed to use four languages but I can assure you that only English is dominant over all our indigenous languages. The self-destruction led by us is advancing which is why before we even know, our children will be the lost generation. We just cannot associate development with English. No, such is wrong and we urge the ruling party to please consider ‘Ibuyambo’ for indigenous languages”, said Holomisa.
He lamented the ANC to help indigenous languages through speaking them even when dealing with communities. “How do you justify addressing a full house of Xhosa or Zulu speakers with English while you know very well that they don’t speak and understand the language”, asked Holomisa.
He urged the governemt to bring back Somgxada’s Xhosa literature which was used to development and enhance cultural pride of the indigenous language speakers. “Give us the money you use for the sod-turning events to pay local elders whom we can use to advance and support our languages”, emphasized Holomisa.
Echoing her frustration on the government’s failure to develop the National Language Policy Framework, Pan South African Language Board (PanSalb) acting executive Head for Languages, Angie Netsheheni, pleaded with the government of the day to push for equitable status of languages.
“Despite the fact that Chapter 1, Section 6 of the South African's Constitution, affirm that organs of state use two languages, please let’s find space for indigenous languages. Allow the established units to develop policy guide, because should you allow the advancement of one language of the other, then you are barring people to participate in democratic processes thanks to language”, warned Netsheheni.
Also speaking during the Indaba, the department’s MEC, Mandla Makupula emphasized that nation building involves enhancement of indigenous languages against those of the colonisers. “With its unique feature, South Africa need to be cautious not to extinct indigenous languages like the Latina American countries did after they had obtained their democracy.
We can’t afford to be colonized through allowing the dominance of the coloniser’s language. I caution parents that they should not rob their children’s conceptual development through allowing then to know a foreign language at a tender age at the expense of their mother tongue language”, cautioned Makupula.
The two-day provincial Language Indaba continues until tomorrow and there are scheduled commissions after lunch today which will be followed by Multilingualism awards this evening starting at 18H00.
Article Tags: Language Indaba, Xhosa, education
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