Renowned African author Professor Ngugi Wa Thiong’o says Africa needs to promote its languages for meaningful social and economic development.
Professor Ngugi said African governments must come up with progressive policies on language matters.
He describes the loss of African languages as one of the continent’s greatest tragedies.
Professor Ngugi was speaking in Lusaka Monday evening during a well-attended public lecture organised by the Policy Monitoring and Research Centre entitled the Languages of Justice in Africa.
“Thus the development of the African language should not mean isolation from other languages of the earth. We want African languages to become bridgeheads to continental African unity, Pan African unity and to the world,” he said.
Professor Ngugi warned that African rich culture will be buried if governments continue to promote colonial languages.
He said for Africa to connect with globalisation, there is need to empower the local people by connecting with the surrounding through their native languages for socio-economic transformation.
Professor Ngugi said the continent needs publishers who have faith in the possibilities of African languages and who are willing to invest in the production of books in African languages.
“With all that then, I believe that the biggest challenge is still to Writers and intellectuals of Africa.
I have said before and I say it again that we must do for our languages what all other intellectuals have done for theirs by producing the best that can be written and thought.”
He continued, “Every language whether spoken by a community of hundreds or by a community of millions has a right to be and a right to develop knowledge.”
“If we believe that people are the basis of development, then the language languages that they speak are the basis of that progress and every language policy planning should incorporate this premises,” he said.
Professor Ngugi, a distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature and Director of the International Center for Writing and Translation at the University of California at Irvine received a standing ovation after his lecture from an enthusiastic audience.
A Kenyan writer of Gikuyu descent, Professor Ngugi is the author of various novels such as Weep Not Child, The River Between, A Grain of Wheat and Petals of Blood.
too much heterogenity. which ones to choose from 73
thats the problem,and you believe that the 48 languages plus dialects in zambia will cause such problems? the proff is right. we should start using our languages in schools,universities and places of work. why do we insist on english so much. kanshi chashupa shani ifwe fwebena africa? we can start by first of all giving all our children african names. have you ever seen or heard of an all white caucasian child given an african name? where in the world. but we insist on using their names like john,mathews,timothy etc. I can even assure you that the comments on this article will be the least because people think such issues or topics are actually blasphemous or dont make sense. just count how many comments will come here. buti nga fyaba sungu,awe kwena ifilika twalikosako.
SPEAK YOUR OWN! THIS IS WHAT THE MAN IS SAYING PROMOTE YOUR OWN LANGUAGE.
Just wonder which language he is using to communicate and why is it useless. We should not fly here to California but just swim. Am now tearing my ticket I just used. hahahaha. kekekeke
There aren’t 73 languages in Zambia. That’s a lie Kaunda used to imprison you in his dictatorship. I have never heard anyone speak Bisa!
Thank you Sir I love you so much for you are such an inspiration, i have read the River Between a countless times. I wish i could one day meet you, thank you.
I atleast speak more than 5 languages, my english is not very good especially that i hardly use it, i cant speak a perfect sentence in Bemba, when i make mistakes in English people attack me on this blog, when i blunder in Bemba people think am such a fake, how do i come out of this entangled affair? I cant help it that Bemba and English are not used in my society most importantly in my own home, can some one then cast a stone on me? i try to do my best for i love learning other Languages, but practice makes perfect which is rarely the case for me.
meanwhile the prof used a colonial language to express his theory hehehe lol
globalization cannot be fought, it’s part of biblical prophecy. just learn aka ngeleshi. even china tried sticking to their language, then they realised whenever they came to africa, they could not do business, language barrier, they went to the west, language barrier, the east, same thing, now they are learning english then they go out to do business hehehe lolol
African Languages are very much alive!
Iwe Nubian Princes…i suck so badly at some foreign language…its called mathematics.
Which african country is it from?
@1,the main ones are,bemba,nyanja,Tonga,lozi,kaonde.bemba covers,luapula,muchinga,northern & CB.nyanja will cover,Lusaka,eastern & Tonga southern,central & lozi ,western.kaonde ,north western.good idea.
Are you a clown? In NWP Lunda and Luvale widely spoken and are also included in the local languages used on national radio,
already there’s a fight! filekeenifye fi, just use one uniting language, aka ngeleshi. ukalanda ici luvale ku ma order ku dubai iwe!?
Well articulated proffessor Ngugi! but the reality is grimme, coloniolisation has become so entrenched in the minds of Africans, it is a sad story, the educated elites are the main culprilts , some of them hate their own languages with a passion, it is something they don’t want their children to learn, those in diaspora are the worst, they think teaching their children the an african language is a shame, they love it when the child speaks english with a none african accent, one African mother is learning french so she can communicate to her kids who she wants to be bilingual (french & english) her African born children,who were brought here at ages 6&7 have no knowledge of any african language .she is not the only one this is the story of many Africans, but wait a minute.
mwalanda sana ba namweleu? muli batundunshi? limbi kuti twalandako namwe ichi tumbukuka olo ichi tonga. the world i changing we have to strategise as to how best we can solve this problem of language. we cant just wake up and say we shall use bemba or cewa olo ngoni olo tumbuka. we need experts in language to come up with one or two languages that will easily incorporate western langauges when we learn the sciences foe example. is the grammar in tumbuka similar to that in english or is it tonga? these are questions we need to ask when choosing a language that we adopt as a country.
No wonder me i rarely use English unless if the situation requires me to do so.I`m proud of my language and heritage.
Boza yako. Unataba kwanu na bululu wako Engineer Australia
It is not all Africans, North africans teach their children their languages! and so do indians and the chinese, my neighbour is croatian ,the wife french, they were both born here, meaning it is their grand parents who immigrated to this land but their langauges were taught to them and guess what!!!! my neighbours 5 year old son(4th generation is learning and speaks croatian)
Back home a friend was asked by their visiting white friend why they talked to their kids in English all the time, the answer was because they were an intertribal marriage, it would be difficulty for their kids to learn two languages! Now, give me a break! children can learn and speak multiple languages easier than an adult! this is the AFRICAN tragedy!!!!!
Spot on!
ati umwana waba neighbor taishiba kulanda ichisungu kanofye icibemba.
and you get embarrassed as a parent.
those chaps can speak fluent english but cannot write good english.
that’s the difference.
This professor is confused, what language was he using when communicating with people in Zambia, Kikuyu or English? He has written a lot of novels in English but is discouraging others to the same. He wants to be rich alone.
that was the very first thing I thought about, his books are in English, in the meantime he’s discouraging the rest of us from using the language…well mr professor as a scholar, you must be the last person to speak on those lines…even at the university where you teach, i’m pretty sure there are students from other countries, and I know you don’t lecture to them in swahili or kikuyu.
Ba Kashimani, He is not discouraging anyone, he is encouraging people to promote African languages.
Why are all his renowned novels in English. Yes, the man is a fool indeed.
Do your homework before commenting on issues that you do not understand. Don’t criticize just for the sake of criticizing. Ngugi wa Thiong’o has written several books in his native Kikuyu. He initially started writing in English but now writes mostly in Kikuyu. Do your research before displaying your ignorance for all to see!
@7.4 Yeah, Have you read any of the books he has written in Kikuyu? And what are the chances that they’ll be as widely read as the ones he wrote in English.
Why then did he write or speak to us in English ?
The same reason you are asking your question in English.
Efyo tulandila ati ,’Educated fo ols,’especially Zambians.They have the worst kind of colonial mentality that stinks wherever they are. No wonder some politicians like Hh and Mumba want to go to slave masters to settles matters. Ubututu !
What I would agree with is children learning their parents’ african language and not only communicate in a foreign language. However, our children need to speak additional languages such as english in order to do business with their international partners. China, Germany, France, Russia etc have realised their children need to speak english in order for them to fit in nicely in this globalised economy.
In Zimbabwe Shona is highly spoken in all institutions but for us in zed its difficult,we need some common language i.e English to communicate, and it works well.tribalism reduced.in your house try to use mother tongue.
The prof. should have set an example by writing all his books in Kikuyu. As Africans we are our own worst enemies. We have accepted the programming and brainwashing that only a masterly knowledge of a major European language, especially English, is the gateway to personal financial success. No white man points a gun at us to stop us developing our own rich languages. You would think after fighting to get ourselves independent of white rule, we would then reverse all the wrongs things forced on us by colonial masters, language for instance. But no, we are excited to force our kids to speak a foreign language in their own backyards. I was once beaten by teachers for speaking ichiBemba while on school grounds. Talk about mental slavery.
I think he has set a good example by writing some of his books in Kikuyu….unless you missed that part.
what is mr Ngungi saying is just on the paper, you mean each tribe starts competing to become the best then we will have genocide.
Most of you vilifying this great author for his conflicting example would never be caught dead readin or learning an african language bcoz it’d be seen as promoting the culture of your tribal enemies or competitors.A bemba wud never read in Lozi and a Tumbuka wud never ever want to learn kikuyu.
So lets take a look at our own prejudice 1st before we point an accusing finger at Ngugi wa Thing’o
He’s right. Can someone help me with conversational Namwanga? My parents didn’t teach me but I have to learn it so I can teach my kids. Never too late to learn your language.
Oh My God, Zambian Namayo. I read your comment and felt so sad for you. I wish parents would read what you wrote and realize they are doing their children a disservice.
Good luck dear lady. I hope you find someone to connect you to your God-given mother-tongue.
The professor’s proposition is valid, but very complex indeed. Its a top to bottom strategy, probably unworkable. Get the root cause! The attempt by the colonialists to “steal” our identity was a huge coordinated plot lasting hundreds of years. Change our religion, our names, our languages. To change our language, they first had to demean and dominate us and make us feel worthless. After they succeeded with that, they then went for our mineral wealth and other resources, were fatally and mortally weak!
Unfortunately this has been inherited by post colonial African politicians. Use their language to dominate and crush so called smaller ones.(How many wars have been fought due language issues in Africa?) To do this, reward the “ruling” tribe with immense political power to enable…
… to enable them carry out their agenda of dominance. African politicians have used language to dominate and perpetuate their stay in power, and steal from the people, pretty much the same way the colonialists did. Its now African on African colonialism, its commonly referred to as tribalism and goes hand in glove with corruption, nepotism and dictatorship. We’ve been experiencing this scenario in Zambia since 1964 only that its too intense today more than ever before.
lets understand the context, obviously its impossibe not to use english in this day & age. there is a difference between promoting & using. its ok to use the main lingua france which is english for business/trade etc BUT we are promoting the use of english across of fronts, cultural, educational, which is killing our local languages. I agree with the prof we need to promote and use local languages for the sake of cultural preservation and exposure. see our west african brothers , Nigerians for example, have invested in film and soaps on tv channels in hausa, yoruba and igbo to cater to their target audiences. consequently, their themed nigerian movies have infected and affected zambians, who now say “igwe” “oga” “abeg o”, that how you spread langs/dialects and preserve them into the…
This story is so interesting. The prof touched a very important point in his openning remarks on social and economic development as a benefit of the use of local language. Yes the Prof could have used English to write his novels but his advise to this generation is very important to be ignored. Forget about which language should be used in Zambia as whole but in particular community. Language can be a barrier to proper communiction such that it can hinder development. Take for example East African countries ,development seen today in technology there can not be compared to Zambia yet these are mainly using an African language which is easily understood by every one even in the streets. Talk of Germany, China, Japan etc. We just have to support the Prof to shakeoff this colonial mentaliy
Preserving the laguage is right, forcing the use of the language could be a problem and source of comflict.
How could a lozi blonde respond if I went to her and said in my language, “Kukuvwamba nakuloli cete” and she has to respond in her language?
Comfusion right?
Great scholarship! Keep it up! One local language for all Zambians needs to serve as official national language. The other languages then become regional languages of Zambia. It is fallcious to adopt many languages at the same time for official functions. All that is required is to respect regional languages.
Which “one” language?
After 1978 Ngugi started writing his books in his native language ie ‘The Devil on the cross’ was initially written in kikuyu while he was in detained in prison on toilet papers and later translated into English.Lets promote our native languages, after all you dont even dream in English or french,later we can translate what we write into these foreign languages.No wonder Ngugi is Director of the international writing and translation at this califonia university.
But then why is Ngugi a professor of English and not one of Kikuyu? Reminds me of when adults reprimand kids when they find them enjoying sex because ati “balechita ifyakutumpa” (they are doing bad things) when they themselves chop each other daily. Instead adults must advise children that putting pipe is nice but it has its own time in one’s life because of consequences that may arise when done before people are responsible enough. Ngugi should have advised on the importance of comprehending different languages (including promoting indigenous ones) in this global village for one to suit.
We can work together profesore to advocate for this, cant wait for such a time. this useles thing of english al over doesnt help at al. alot of people find it dificult to expres themselvs bcoz of ths barrier. tht is y tazania, malawi, south africa, botswana among the notables tht hav embraced their local languages nizii.
I believe you are the generation of 1995- 2013. We who were their in our time of education know what the Prof Ngugi is saying. I enjoyed the his books at school especially the River Between-like our own writer A Mpashi, Mushindo- with books like “Uwauma nafyala; Chekesoni aingila Ubusoja; Bamusholweko; Kabanki, Ishima watuta menji in other languages “. They made sense and had much education to a Zambian child and knew the tradition of an African unlike what is happening to present child today.
Look at the music in Zambia, its a confused music with not stand to feel live art. We are in a stereotype and not real Zambia in the Sun.
I would like to understand what the value in the long run is of preserving or promoting our local languages or dialects. Will our lives be any less valuable for instance if over time Zambia had one dominant language that compromised say of mainly Bemba spiced up with a few words from Nyanja, tonga and English? Over time that would be a natural progression and not forced. That is how languages like Swahili and Afrikaans developed. To try to promote our local langauges artificially is counter-productive and inefficient as it will not be easy to identify which languages to promote. When one thinks of the consequences on education in promoting the local languagesinstead of English or along side english you will realise that there is little value added as academic literature is in english
Yes, let’s learn more local languages in schools so in the future my children can communicate when doing business in China, Dubai, Brazil and Russia!
I love the richness of my heritage and language, Bemba. I speak and write it well and take every opportunity to use it. It defines me, most of life’s lessons were passed down to me in Bemba. It will never die in my family. It’s rightly been learnt by my non-African spouse.
I also speak and write English perfectly.
That’s all I got to say.
Naleka nine,
Speed.
This is a complex issue. We had a protracted discussion when Wynter suggested the same. Preserving our local languages can be done by teaching them in primary and secondary school the way it’s done currently, only that they should be made compulsory. As a scientist, I find it hard how we translate some scientific terms, for instance Gamma Rays or partial differential equation? The major languages have engaged in scientific research and have formulated these terms. Would love to hear a scientific compulsion for using local languages.
i m also wondering about the language to be used after him being educated in english, in kenya, he is called a prof,he doesn’t even stay or leave here in africa, he has runaway from AFRICA now he wants to come back and fool us. NELSON MANDELA once said those who are not leaving in South Africa and they want to call themselves South Africans are not being fair to them selves coz south Africans are in south africa not in europe they are here in south africa so what can i say about a prof who doesn’t stay here in Africa to be guiding me. we don,t operate like that. Personally we as Africans leaving here in Africa,can sought out our own problems not these people coming because they hear they will sell a few books or norvels and make cash to be spent in where ever they are could fool us.
We have been fine all along
Face to face with the nutty professor.
Read the story of the tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9. If you have one language, it is easy to do many things because you can understand each other mostly in unity. But several languages cause confusion sometimes. So at the level of Zambia’s development what is more critical, unity or confusion? Wherever there are people, a language tends to develop that makes communication easy. People want to be heard, so if you can speak a language that people will hear you in, you are bound to use that. So there is no straight line regarding language. It is what you want the language to do for you. So if Bemba or Nyanja will make it easier for Zambians to communicate so be it. There are so many languages in the world that are now dead. This was not out of design but necessity.
I vote for Nyanja. Bemba is language that belongs to a tribe. There is a paramount chief of the Bemba. But Nyanja does not belong to anyone. It is not a tribe. It is like Swahili which does not belong to anyone. In Nyanja all Zambian tribes find common words there. No wonder it was the official language for government not long ago. Yes, a language is for making easy communication.
Zambians,
Why do you think people who speak their own languages and instruction in their languages like Japanese,Chinese,Russians, Swedish, are advanced? We have an inferiority complex coming from the fact that if you spoke the whiteman’s language you were of an upper class but not equal to a whiteman…this happened to those who were kitchen boys or maids….
Nyanja is already there. Police, Soldiers, Commandos and a lot of institutions use this language to communicate and no one can say tht there are no other tribes in these institutions it all about communication.
Lets not create more colonialists through language. One foreign language which is English has given us enough problems already. In Zambia for example we know which local language is being promoted as a national language and look at the problems its already creating. (Superiority Complex and arrogance). All local languages should be promoted and used freely by indigenous peoples and people should be courteous enough to use a universal language or translate their messages for the good of others. Mr Ngugi has made enough money through English. I wonder how many books he has sold in Kikuyu? Yes, lets have translations on computers but pushing for one African language is absurd.
All Novels written by prof
Ngugi are originated in his mother tongue (kikuyu), then translated in different languages all over the world including Kiswahili!
At a time he was named as James wa Thiong’o, later he made up to drop away the European name (james) for sake of preserving his Africanness instead of promoting European’s culture!
To promote his native language,
Prof is ok!