No action on publishing in indigenous languages
The Herald, July 30, 1996 THE issue of writing and publishing in indigenous languages has not been taken seriously despite a lot of resolutions on the need to do so passed in various forums over the years.
Participants to the 1996 Zimbabwe International Book Fair writers’ workshop in Harare yesterday said a lot of talking had been done on the subject. But, no action had been taken to implement decisions taken at several meetings held on the continent in the past years.
During yesterday’s deliberations, the subject featured prominently.
It was observed that among the major obstacles to publishing in indigenous languages was the lack of proper marketing strategies on the part of publishers and low interest on the part of writers.
Some writers and publishers felt that the “returns’’ from such ventures were not worth the risk, promoting participants to ask whether people should write and publish for money.
Others said writers should go on their own and stop prominent publishing houses to promote their works on indigenous literature.
“If you go on your own and produce a marketable product, then the major publishing houses have no choice but to pick it and market it. We must be independent of their operations,” argued one speaker during discussions.
Zimbabwe’s Ray Choto, said the attitude shown towards publishing in local languages was discouraging and urged publishers to revise their stance.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
◆ Government has made great strides in recognising the country’s local languages and making them official.
◆ Official publications printed in vernacular languages, include the Constitution and the National Development Strategy 1.
◆ It is through language that people can understand their heritage: socio-economic, cultural and political. Many languages became extinct because their speakers did not care about their development. ◆ On July 23, the nation lost Professor George Kahari, an academic giant who spent more than five decades, teaching and writing about Zimbabwean languages, under the University of Zimbabwe. ◆ Prof Kahari published extensively and some of his analyses of Shona literature, include: The Odyssey of Shona Narratives: A Collation and Collection of Articles and Conference Papers (1964-2012); Herbert W. Chitepo’s Epic Poem, Soko Risina Musoro The Tale without a Head: A Critique; Kuverenga Chishona: An Introductory
Shona Reader with Grammatical Sketch; The Novels of Patrick Chakaipa, etc.
◆ It is up to the education ministries to ensure that students are able to write and publish in vernacular languages. Schools, colleges and universities must equip students with writing, sales and marketing skills, and the means of doing business in local languages.
◆ Ignatius Mabasa this year made history when he wrote his PhD thesis in Shona.
Dr Mabasa graduated from Rhodes University in South Africa and his thesis is titled: “Chave chemutengure vhiri rengoro: Husarungano nerwendo rwengano dzevaShona.”
◆ “Th e choice to use chiShona is a response to the exclusion and marginalisation of other knowledge. Africans have had other people tell their stories for them- othering them, judging them, labelling the, misrepresenting them,” said Dr Mabasa.