Mother tongue is vital to cultural identity
THE whirligig of time ushers in Heritage Day reminding us of its profound importance.
According to the National Heritage Resources Act (1999), its purpose is to encourage communities to nurture and conserve their legacy so that it may be bequeathed to future generations. It is an opportunity for reflection, renewal, resolve and resurgence.
The mother tongue is the soul of our heritage and the root of our culture. It defines our identity. Regardless of one’s ethnicity, everyone’s mother tongue is near and dear to him or her. It is like one’s own mother and should be treated as such.
Our Indian mother tongues came from India with our indentured ancestors in 1860. Toiling tirelessly in slave-like conditions through torture and tears, sacrifice and struggle, they ploughed difficult furrows in a strange soil to sow the seeds of our mother tongues, culture, religion and heritage.
By regarding education as the apex lodestar, they turned scars into stars with a sense of vision and mission and empowered us to progress from plantation to Parliament. It is time to celebrate our cultural roots and heritage.
Historically, India established the foundation of civilisation and her contributions to the advancement of humanity are unparalleled.
It is the sacred duty of our present generation to keep the beautiful light of our Indian languages, culture, religion and heritage shining bright and bold in our beloved South Africa. If we let our mother tongues die then our ancient cultural heritage will surely perish. We cannot and must not betray the stellar legacy of our great forebears.
Indian languages and Arabic rank among the 30 most highly spoken languages in the world. The listing is generally as follows: Hindi is placed third, Arabic sixth, Urdu 11th, Telugu 16th, Tamil 19th and Gujarati 29th.
In our 161-year chequered stay in South Africa, Indians were culturally deprived and disadvantaged as our languages were not taught at schools during the colonial era and greater part of the apartheid regime.
It was only in October 1981, at the historic first National Hindu Convention organised by the South African Hindu Dharma Sabha, after a brilliant presentation by RG Pillay, then chief inspector of education, that it was unanimously resolved to campaign relentlessly for the teaching and learning of Indian languages at schools during normal school hours.
In 1984, the teaching and learning of Indian languages was introduced in schools with 8 009 learners, increasing to 36 497 in 1990 and to 53 914 in 1994. In 2004, there were 77 010 learners studying Indian languages and Arabic in 355 schools in KwaZulu-Natal alone.
The death knell was sounded by the introduction of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS). The learning and teaching of Indian languages and Arabic was derogatively downgraded to an after school extra-curricular activity. This was a patent insult and travesty to the culturally proud Indian community whose ancient heritage has contributed monumentally to our rich cultural diversity and multi-dimensional advancement.
This year, the number of learners of Indian languages and Arabic has alarmingly
died down to fewer than 2 000. All that we are earnestly requesting for is that Indian languages and Arabic be reinstated in the formal curriculum and taught during normal school hours.
The study of our mother tongues will lead to a greater understanding and enjoyment of our films, songs, dances, drama, festivals, religious sacraments, scriptures, literature, etc.
Indian mother tongues and Arabic have a deep spiritual significance which is fundamental to education and holistic human development.
Handa (1978) describes language as “a loom on which cultural patterns are woven”. Hulmes (1989) adds that “language strengthens the civilisation it serves and nourishes the dominant culture it is part of”.
Bharatendu Harishchandra said: “One’s own language is source of all progress, without which the pangs of the heart cannot be stilled.”
Recognising the historically diminished use and status of Indian languages and Arabic, our government must take practical and positive measures to elevate the status and advance the use of these languages of minority groups.
Minorities matter. A democracy is judged by how it fairly, equitability and justly treats its minority groups. The rights, interests, hopes and aspirations of vulnerable groups can and must be protected and promoted in a reasonable and meaningful manner. Many countries have dedicated ministries to take special care of their minority groups.
Marcus Garvey, a prominent Jamaican theologian, once said: “If you want to destroy any nation, take away its language, its culture, and religion and that nation will be destroyed forever.”
Consistent with the provisions of the Constitution, the Republic of South Africa, Act number 108 of 1996, the South African Hindu Dharma Sabha has made a comprehensive submission to Angie Motshekga, the national Minister of Basic Education, as well as the national education portfolio committee proposing thee language levels as follows:
The Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) should be an official language, mainly English, the lingua franca. In provinces and schools where Afrikaans is the majority home language, it should be the LoLT.
The first additional language should be an official language (preferably an indigenous African language) or a nonofficial optional heritage language.
The second additional language should be an official or non-official optional heritage language.
It is relevant to note that in most countries only one official language is used while the other languages are optional.
The three language levels listed above can easily accommodate optional heritage languages of choice such as Indian languages (Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Gujarati, Urdu, Sanskrit) and Arabic as well as Khoi, Nama, San, Mandarin, Hebrew, German, Greek, French, Portuguese, etc. In consonance with South Africa’s declared policy of multilingualism and inclusivity.
A 3-language level dispensation offering non-official, optional heritage languages of choice will enhance peaceful co-existence without conflict, inter-cultural understanding and harmony, unity in diversity, social cohesion, rainbow nation-building and human solidarity.