National Languages Day receives mixed feelings

EDWARD BULE
Correspondent | Friday February 25, 2011 00:00

The chairman of RETENG - a coalition of the so-called minority languages - hopes that the annual commemoration of the National Languages Day since 2008 'would be a stepping stone' towards the realisation of an inclusive language policy and a multi-cultural school curriculum which caters for all the languages in the country.

He says that the ideal thing is for the various languages in the country to be designated part of the medium of instruction and therefore propelled into the public domain.

For her part a founder member of RETENG, Lydia Saleshando feels that there might be change of attitude by the government. She says that the status quo ante has become untenable pointing out that all SADC countries besides Botswana have adopted UNESCO guidelines on the teaching of local languages.

Saleshando, whose pressure group, Kamanakao, took government to court over the right of her tribe, the Wayeyi, to have their own paramount chief says that the fact that government is commemorating languages day is a milestone, as it now seems to accept diversity. She is still worried though about the length of time government will take to actualise the wishes of the non-Setswana speaking tribes in the country.

A lecturer in the Department of Languages and Social Sciences at the University of Botswana (UB), Dr Agreement Lathi Jotia says that despite the positive public pronouncements, rhetoric and commemorations, government has not taken any practical steps to show that there has been a paradigm shift in favour of linguistic diversity in the country. Nor has government committed itself to the introduction of the other languages in the public domain including the educational system.

Several of the so-called minority languages were taught at school before independence. One of the outcomes of the current language system in the country is that, the minority languages, without any evident economic or social utility because they have been removed from the public domain, have lost value over the years and therefore ceased to be a source of pride to their speakers. Some of the speakers, especially the youth, so despise their own languages that they  speak only Setswana and English to each other. 

In a letter last October, responding to one written by Bakalanga demanding the teaching of Ikalanga in schools, government refused to accede to the demand saying that it had no funds for such a project. Besides, said government, if the demand was met, the state would be inundated with similar requests from the other tribes. 

Since independence (in 1966), there have been calls by the non-Setswana speaking tribes to have their languages taught in the government schools. Government has constantly refused to grant the request saying that, an inclusive language policy and multi-linguistic education system would engender tribalism. Besides, government argued, there were no resources both in terms of personnel and textbooks or money for the teaching of the other languages other than Setswana and English.

Insisting that 'we are all Batswana,' the Botswana government has sought to weaken peoples' links to their own tribal languages and adopt Setswana as the unifying language. This is despite the fact that languages such as Shiyeyi, Sembukushu, Sesubiya, Seherero, Sesarwa and others, are not related to the Setswana language.

Unimpressed by a language policy that seeks to achieve unity without dispensing justice, Jotia underscores the centrality of unity in diversity when he quotes James Banks who said: 'Unity without diversity results in cultural repression and hegemony. Diversity without unity leads to balkanisation and the fracturing of the nation state.'

Interestingly, the Department of Youth, Sport and Culture says it intends to sensitive the public on the importance of using and documenting local languages as a way of safeguarding those languages for continuity. Recognising the centrality of language as a community and individual identity and factor of social integration nationally and internationally, the department says that it is through language that people are able to express and showcase their diverse cultural heritage.

By commemorating the event annually, government hopes also to create awareness on the importance of language in the economic development of a country as well as to national unity. The exercise is also hoped to facilitate the sharing of information among writers and publishers. Finally, the department hopes to showcase the diverse languages in the form of verbal presentations, performing arts and exhibitions.

The Department of Youth, Sports and Culture says it is working with the National Languages committee on the development of languages in Botswana. It is also working with cultural organisations in Botswana on the promotion of the use and documentation of local languages. It believes that through the annual National Languages Day commemoration, people would be encouraged to use their languages.

It is hoped that the book industry, including writers, researchers and publishers would be persuaded to produce and publish books in various local languages as that would not only lead to the development of the local languages, but contribute immensely to 'the safeguarding of our heritage'.

In its policy paper, the Department of Youth, Sport and Culture, says it is concerned about the continuous decline in the use of local languages. When officiating at the commemoration of the languages day, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Shaw Kgathi expressed similar sentiments.

Clearly, it is within the power of the government to ensure that the people do not shun their languages. Instead of being 'concerned,' government should stop living in denial and accept our linguistic and cultural diversity.

Commenting on the inconsistency between what government says and what it does, with respect to the development of local languages, social commentator and development activist, Log Raditlhokwa says that politically correct statements are made with impunity when there is no commitment to their actualisation. He says that the fact that there are no strong pressure groups in Botswana could explain why government has so far not done anything about the languages of the non-Setswana speaking tribes.

Raditlhokwa says that because language is part of the culture and the pride of any people, it can therefore not be replaced with anything. He says that government is too bureaucratic and is not likely to go beyond making politically correct statements. He adds that it would be helpful if private entrepreneurs could design a language-learning programme for the various local languages to cater for those who might be interested in learning them.

He is disappointed that some in the leadership are not being exemplary to the youth as they would rather address their audience in English.

Kgosi Thabo Maruje 111 of Masunga says that Botswana needs to liberalise her language policy so that it is inclusive and therefore consistent with the reality on the ground with respect to the number of tribes in this country. He says the status quo is limiting even to those who might want to learn other languages out of interest.

Officiating at the commemoration of the National Languages Day in Maun recently, Kgathi encouraged his listeners to at least learn one more language other than their own.

This is a tall order considering the fact that not much has been written in the seven languages spoken in the Ngami and Okavango. Given the fact that the languages are not taught, there would be no market for books in them since there is very little attraction for publishing in them because, when a language is not recognised as official, it does not have much economic value.

For her part, private medical practitioner Dr Habaudi Hobona says that the problem is that the political leaders from the linguistically marginalised tribes, are not independent thinkers. In her view, they are always too ready to betray their people to please their principals. Hobona says people need their languages and not crocodile tears from government officials at the annual commemorations. She adds that it is unfortunate that those who call for tribal equality are branded tribalists.

Domboshaba Trust treasurer Kangan'gwani Phatshwana says that when the commemorations started in 2008, his organisation was optimistic that government was taking the issue of language rights seriously.

'After three years, we are extremely disappointed that government is contented with the commemorations and nothing else,' he says. He is appalled that the occasions are even used for amusement by government ministers doing the officiating when they greet the communities hosting the commemoration in the local language attracting laughter from the people because of the wrong accent.

Phatshwana says that nothing less than a concrete move by government to give official recognition to all the languages in Botswana will make them happy. Despite the commemorations, Phatshwana insists that government still intends to 'kill' the other languages. In his view, the way forward is for the pressure groups representing the so-called minority tribes to 'reach out more and deliver the message to the people and make them understand that ours is a political problem which needs a political solution'.