Why I write in English: rejoinder to decolonising the mind

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.