Coming home to mother tongues

South Africans sometimes miss the plot. Despite being surrounded by the rich cultural capital and diversity of our indigenous languages, we often focus on the globalised English world to the detriment of our local flavours. Over the years, the Pendoring

Advertising Awards — celebrating 25 years this year — have shifted their focus to do just that: celebrate our indigenous languages.

Created in 1995 to promote and stimulate the use of Afrikaans in advertising, Pendoring has gone through a number of changes to celebrate all of SA’s indigenous languages.

Last year saw a 20% increase in entries, the highest number of Zulu language entries and an endorsement from Unesco, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

The Pendoring 2019 winners conceptualised the new campaign, “English never loved us”: “Only 8.4% of South Africans speak English at home. If you speak English as a second or third or even ninth language you’ve had moments in your life when English has run out without warning. One minute you’re speaking out through your nose, the next you’re suddenly out of English bundles and switching back to your mother tongue for protection. English will show your flames.

That’s why we say: English never loved us,” they say.

“It’s part of a nation-building exercise where we come together to share our cultural riches,” says Pendoring’s GM Eben Keun. “The Pendoring is one way we’re trying to stimulate growth in the industry. We’re interested in helping to unearth indigenous languages.”

Work created in Afrikaans, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Setswana, Sepedi, Sesotho, siSwati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga can be submitted in nine categories: design, film, digital and interactive communication, print communication, radio and audio, outdoor and out of home, integrated campaign, live communications and student awards.

“You can even enter podcasts,” says Keun. “It’s really for the entire creative sector. It’s also fine to mix languages because we’re interested in the way people really speak. So we encourage it.”

The organisers hope to see an increase in entries of branded content like film, publication, print communication, publication design and book cover designs for books in indigenous languages.

Entries must be submitted online and paid for by September 25.