In recent weeks, the need to appreciate one’s mother tongue has never been more relevant than before. In her recent interview, Charlize Theron, stated that Afrikaans was a dying language, fast forward to a week later where a columnist in The Citizen asks the African community to sue her if allowing English to permeate her son’s development is a crime. Indigenous languages seem to be on the decline as African people increasingly adopt the English language as their mother tongue over their indigenous languages.
Paul Disain once said, “Our language and culture is the window through which we see the world.” With South Africa taking pride in its rich cultural heritage that befits the cultural diversity of the population making up the nation, one must ask the question “what is indigenous language”? In its simplest form, it is the language that is native to a region and spoken by indigenous people who share the same cultural value and belief.
Indigenous languages are important for many reasons, one being that they give an individual their cultural identity. In the African community, we often get our names from our indigenous language that determines who you are and describes you as a person. The name you are given from your indigenous language rarely misrepresents you as person. Therefore the loss of language in our governmental systems creates a lot of division in our communities.
Indigenous languages transmit unique ways of understanding and relating to the world. Safeguarding Indigenous languages and knowledge is vital for addressing the current climate and humanitarian crises. Indigenous languages hold an exciting historical importance in their respective societies. Language preservation is important now more than ever, as it is an essential part of Indigenous culture. Authors such as SEK Mqhayi used their indigenous language to communicate political matters and to address the role of religion in his society. In their recent day to day school teachings, academics such as Paballo Chauke recently translated genetics/biology/science into isiXhosa so that the young, curious and brilliant minds could understand the science and gain an appreciation of it in their mother tongue. These kind of initiatives have all aided to the intellect of young people and have helped to foster their thinking. The Nigerian government recently approved a new National Language Policy which makes the mother tongue a compulsory medium of instruction from Primary 1 to 6. One wonders if it is time for South Africa to adopt the same policy.
Sporting events are more than moments of competition, national pride, and entertainment. They are economic activities that can stimulate tourism, create employment, support local businesses, and generate revenue across multiple sectors of the economy.
Umntwana womgquba a term traditionally used in the Nguni language that means “born out of wedlock,” but nowadays it is used to emphasise that one is born kwisintu. As lontwana, I look back on my own adventures: sometimes I pat myself on the back, and sometimes I wish I could redo them.
Each September, South Africa turns its attention to the rich cultural tapestry that defines our nation. Heritage Month is a time to honour the traditions, languages, histories, knowledge systems, customs and creative expressions that have been passed from generation to generation, while recognising that our heritage is not confined to the past.
My first encounter with heritage at the Mandela Bay Development Agency was, appropriately, somewhat uncomfortable. It began with cleaning. The Gale Monument, the Horse Memorial and the Queen Victoria statue became my first practical introduction to the business of preserving history.
