People take pride in their languages, whether they are considered to be minority, insignificant or boring by others. The current constitutional reform process in Zimbabwe almost ground to a halt recently when participants broke into a quarrel at a planning workshop. There was no meaningful progress because they wanted the language issue to be clearly spelt out.

“We cannot allow a situation where one language group does not recognize diversity and the existence of other languages. The rewriting of our constitution is serious business and if we are to seek people’s views from all over the country, why should we send people into areas where they cannot communicate with locals in their own languages. Everyone should be given the opportunity to express themselves in their own languages regarding all pertinent issues which they would like to see included in the new constitution,” said Mbonisi Moyo, a participant.

Promote national languages
Zimbabwe’s three national languages are Shona, Ndebele and English.  Most adults with a basic education speak more than one of them. But there are other languages referred to as ‘minority’ like Kalanga, Tonga, Venda and Shangaan. Today, these are generally looked down upon  just like during the colonial era.  Although Shona is spoken by over 80 per cent of the population, English still remains the lingua franca of business and most public service communication. However, for historical reasons and nation-building purposes, Ndebele is given almost equal status with Shona. The same goes for television and radio.

Some participants from the western part of the country, where Ndebele is the dominant language, were irritated that top government officials at the workshop kept speaking in Shona. And despite being fully aware that they were addressing a mixed audience.

Protect minority languages
“Our so-called minority languages are now fragile and need to be protected and developed from imminent extinction. Their marginalization begins with a lack of teachers fluent in the languages and well-written textbooks at primary level. Non-speakers of these languages are deployed to teach our children and all they are doing is polluting and confusing the young ones,”  laments Greta Mudenda, a Tonga community leader.  She says that the kids have lost confidence in themselves because they are speaking  a language alien to them. She sees it as sheer political manipulation.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               The youth have now developed their own slang which is a mixture of English and Shona or Ndebele, known as Shonglish or Ndenglish respectively. Nowadays, it’s difficult to meet young people, especially in urban areas, who can proudly and clearly express themselves in undiluted Shona or Ndebele. They read vernacular novels just to pass compulsory examinations and hardly read them for pleasure.

Inferiority complex
“Due to Western influences through the media, languages are being destroyed. While we fight for our languages to be recognized today, our children are giving them away so rapidly because they consider them to be inferior. They would rather learn French and Portuguese in order to market themselves internationally. Sadly, teachers nowadays also prefer to teach Shona and Ndebele in English,” says Tendai Maphosa, a concerned parent.

Have a listen to the intricacy of the Ndebele language: