PRIORITISE LOCAL LANGUAGES

THE call by local writers and historians for a better appreciation of the indigenous languages is a noble one.

It encourages people to take ownership of their indigenous languages and value their culture.

However, some locals have been shunning indigenous languages as they prefer foreign ones.

Westernisation is one of the major causes of why people are shunning indigenous languages.

In Zimbabwe, a good command of the English language is taken as a measure of intelligence and pride.

Some parents/guardians are investing a lot in their children so that they can master the King’s language. Pupils in most towns are struggling to master local languages like Shona.

The pupils were made to believe that local languages like Shona are inferior, yet they define us as Zimbabwe.

Considering how rich our local languages are, we don’t understand why we should be forced to shun them.

According to experts in linguistics, indigenous language defines who we are.

As such, shunning them is as good as forsaking our roots.

This week, upcoming writer, Max Magaba, added his call to the raging debate as the youngster is set to unveil his Shona anthology titled “Pachedu Sahwira” in March.

The collection carries 50 poems in Shona. He preaches the eternal gospel of true love, family and unity in his anthology.

The writer has decided to tackle these issues using the local languages that we all understand.

However, it’s sad that some people don’t take him seriously.

Veteran writers like Aaron Chiundura Moyo, Ignatius Mabasa, Memory Chirere and Chirikure Chirikure are some of the legends who have taken pride in the promotion of indigenous languages.

Mabasa, a revered filmmaker and writer, made history as the first-ever Ph.D. student at Rhodes University to write his thesis in Shona.

Not only did he make history but he managed to communicate his thoughts and feelings in a manner he understood well.

A cultural icon, Mabasa managed to capture the hearts of many in his thesis titled “Chave Chamutengure Vhiri Rengoro: Husarungano Nerwendo Rwengano DzevaShona. Folktale in Confrontation with a Changing World: A Shona Storyteller’s Autoethnography.”

He made this bold decision out of his appreciation of his Shona language, which he easily relates to.

Mabasa’s move is all that we want for people to be able to communicate their thoughts and feelings with ease.

As the debate rages on, we can only keep dreaming that Zimbabweans will keep appreciate their local languages.

Appreciation of local languages is critical for people to learn their culture, its significance and value.

While there is nothing wrong with people learning other foreign languages, we should also remember that there are foreigners currently writing our history.

We should never let foreign people tell our story when we can easily do it.

The only way to go would be to appreciate local languages and embrace our heritage.

This is what makes a nation and we should be proud of everything that makes us Zimbabweans and languages are part of that.