Why I write in English: rejoinder to decolonising the mind

ENOLE DITSHEKO | Friday June 4, 2010 00:00

Not by choice, a pool of such possible publishers is abroad. I am still hopeful someone will pick it before year-end. It is my second book. Concealed Blood is written in English. Once, a fellow journalist dared to embarrass the former president, Festus Mogae during a press conference: why do you always address kgotla meetings in English, he asked. Because I graduated from Oxford, was the curt reply from Mr. President. I think he meant that he chose English over Setswana because he is comfortable expressing himself in it, possibly having learnt it well from the prestigious institute.

We all are too familiar with the often cited, but distorted speech: 'a people without a culture is a like a body without a soul.' This line of argument seems to be the thesis of one Ndaba Nkomo in his article; Decolonising the Mind: What's in a language, published in Mmegi on May 21, 2010. He certainly is bemoaning the diminishing Setswana among our generation and our children's, which unarguably will deteriorate with each generation. Can anyone disagree with Nkomo on this obvious point? Not me.

The trouble however, is that this line of argument disregards the truth that language itself, is not the culture, neither can it be the sole epitome nor the single embodiment of a society, but it only remains a component like the rest, which when put together, a society - a unique people can be identified. Language, therefore, I am reminded of the metaphor Apostle Paul employs in describing the body of Christ that is made up of different parts, which none could boast greater than the other as to its usefulness. We thus can authoritatively speak of culture as in the wholeness: dress, food, rituals and rites, housing and the list goes on. Hence I posit that Ngugi wa Thiong'o DECOLONISING THE MIND is one among pieces that continue to attract raging debates among scholars of literature as with other arguments including Chinua Achebe's The Image Of Africa, V. Y. Mudimbe with The Invention Of Africa and The Idea Of Africa, Dorothy Hammond and Alta Jablow in The Myth Of Africa, and The Africa That Never Was. Moreover, Chinweizu et al in Toward the Decolonisation of African Literature put language at the centre of the literary discourse. The language discourse is perceived as an expression of nationalistic sentiment, 'a nationalism assuming an antecedent existence of the African 'nation' and inspired by an understanding of Africanness as primordial, immutable, and above all, antithetical to 'Westernness,' argues Moradewun Adejunmobi in his paper; What's Africa To Me? Nationalism, Literature, and European Languages in Africa. This is a wrong equation - assuming like Nkomo that attitudes of nationalism and preservation of culture are encapsulated in the native language with a direct correlation between culture and language, hence without language, the culture is dead!

I must state, lest I be misunderstood by many readers that, I take my hat off for writers in Setswana and others elsewhere who promote mother tongues in the body of literature. That same recognition I give to those of us whose narratives employ our colonisers' language to share the written word with the rest of humanity. Writing is about expression of inner thoughts and feelings in the most profound manner and certainly, a serious writer wants to do so in the language that gives him the most comfort. It might be ironical that sons and daughters of the soil profess to have mastery of their imperialists' language over their indigenous languages that they suckled from day one.

That remains a topic to be debated at a later time. Perhaps, just maybe, it is as Nkomo puts it, that he and I were taught, 'To report anyone who used a 'vernacular' language to the teacher because English, the Queen's language, was the language we had to learn and master.'

As for me, fast approaching age 40, I don't need Setswana to identify myself as a Motswana or African - I am one with or without it. I write in English because it is the language I find great comfort in when I must address the masses. But the employ of English is rather too serious an issue for me as a writer, whose all aims and objectives are to make a career out of writing. Didn't I toil seven years to master the art of writing and become a successful writer using English? Like any craft, writing must benefit the apprentice after completing the internship or training program, and I view my vocation as a means through which I must earn a decent livelihood. Writing must be my full-time career.

Can I therefore write in Setswana, if I am seriously aspiring to earn a life out of it? Publishers remind me and fellow writers of this beautiful Botswana of how we will continue to have stacks of good writing collecting dust on our shelves, unless our manuscripts were geared toward the school curriculum. The pie is too small to scramble over, and those whose niche is to produce fiction and creative non-fiction, might be forced to look abroad to publish.

The local publishing market is saturated. Hence in my introduction, I intimated that my novel manuscript is being read overseas. Had I written in Setswana, perhaps I could have thought of a publisher in Mafikeng other than the local publishing houses.

Writing in native African languages remains a subject of stimulating debate as even the proponent of such a move bears witness to the truth that, what earned him respect and brought plenty of bread on his table as a writer is that which he authored in English. During my university days, I had the rare opportunity of pressing flesh with Ngugi at a public lecture. I dared to pose rather a direct question at him: if you advance the argument of writing in our native languages, why are you in America teaching at the university in English? At that time, literary giants of Africa were earning their living by teaching at overseas universities, where their works were widely read in schools and colleges: Achebe was in New York, Ngugi was in Georgia, Wole Soyinka was at Cambridge, Tsitsi Dangaremba was teaching in England and so was Bernard Dadie in Paris. Surely they got professorship positions because of their works in European languages that earned them the stripes as writers of great repute. What they might do once they have established themselves as serious authors is their choice - perhaps using the native tongues will not be as steadfastly a fact as to promote our languages.

I might have been one to echo Ngugi's sentiments regarding imperialism and neo-colonialism sweeping across the continent of Africa, but to argue against it only on the basis of the usage of European tongues is a far cry that does not inspire my sympathy, nor pity. In advancing the language issue, Ngugi employs a Marxist approach to propagate inclusiveness when writers use native tongues in our literature, or else we are perpetuating the viewpoint that we are writing for the imperialists and her colonized aristocracy, who would have been brainwashed to praise European languages while discrediting our own.

This argument does not persuade a serious thinker, for the oppressed and exploited need not maintain their defiance on the basis of their native language not being used in literature, when they can equally speak, read and understand the language showcasing their society, their architecture and culture in a fair representation.

Ngugi misleads his followers like Nkomo in the whole argument of decolonising the mind that, 'A people united can never be defeated.' Can he attribute the native language to that formidable unity? We can look within our society to see the cracks in the once-formidable structures where people were united by a language and discourse and still walked different pathways when differences became irreconcilable. It is a deceitful line of arguing to think that using European languages, 'The bourgeoisie is reflected in its culture of apemanship and parrotry enforced on a restive  population through police boots,  barbed wire, a gowned clergy and judiciary; their ideas are spread by a corpus of state intellectuals, the academic and journalistic laureates of the neo-colonial establishment...'

What Nkomo and Ngugi need to answer is why do writers prefer the European languages in narrating their tales and life experiences? If the answer is to showcase our culture and archive it so our children and future generations might find heaps of it, maybe, their argument might hold. But I am sure I speak for many writers using European languages that we write because we need to sell our works not only to our fellow country people but to those in exotic places.

The uniqueness of our cultures is not lost, I firmly argue, simply because we have used a different language - American, Canadian, Australian, Japanese or Indian readers are able to discern that this is an African author writing in a foreign tongue simply from the geographic idiosyncrasies on the pages of the story.

Nkomo, the world is pluralistic and is rapidly undergoing change each second. If I could be of any counsel to you, I would recommend you do not deprive your children the opportunity to learn other languages, which you evidently master from the piece you wrote in English, advocating the use of Setswana.

To emphasise, this is Africa, we may be called Botswana, but we live in a continent whose future is unpredictable by all intents and purposes. No one knows when your children will most need their Amharic, Arabic, French or Japanese. In fact, why not allow them as children to experience the multiculturalism that is found in the 'melting pot' called Botswana? Nations are interdependent so much that we need to at least carry out a conversation with someone on our shores or when we find ourselves in their midst.

It never ceases to amaze me just how our neighbours down south have pushed themselves to understand if not speak the many languages that are found within their borders. Of course, you might argue that one or two of those languages were shoved down their throats - but hey, forget the apartheid and focus on how the Afrikaans is benefiting those that master it. I kick myself for being bi-lingual, but I believe there is redemption after all, with the university offering some of these languages and other foreign missions pushing for the introduction of their languages.

If you afford it, give your children the best weapons of living in a society that accepts those different from them by embracing their languages much the same as they ought to reciprocate, recognizing the truth that we surely need each other.

When they are grown, your children will make their choices as you do now, on whether to propagate nationalism and preservation of culture through the use of indigenous tongues.

In conclusion, talk to a fellow journalist and media investor named Metlhaetsile Leepile to find out how the preservation of our language had failed him after putting down his money to set up Mokgosi.

It is among the short-lived publications. It was all about revitalising our culture. But like me, Nkomo, you are entitled to your ideas and convictions - I thought I should comment on your thesis and thanks for sparking off this debate on language and culture.