The Role of Indigenous Languages in Serving National Interest (fwd)

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The Role of Indigenous Languages in Serving National Interest

Mmegi/The Reporter  (Gaborone)
DOCUMENT
August 31, 2004
Posted to the web September 1, 2004

By METHAETSILE LEEPILE
http://allafrica.com/stories/200409010258.html


There are compelling reasons to protect indigenous languages from
extinction because when a language dies, a people's knowledge dies with
it, writes METHAETSILE LEEPILE


I have been involved in media development for most of my adult life. It
is 20 years since I first made my foray into the media. I think it was
my love for taking on new challenges that spurred me to join Patrick
van Rensburg, my mentor and the finest journalist I know, at Mmegi wa
Dikgang. At the time, I knew Patrick only by reputation. A former South
African diplomat in Lumumba's Congo, he had fled his country in protest
against Apartheid to take up citizenship in Botswana where he started
folk schools based on the education with production model. I am a
product of one such school, Swaneng, the birthplace of Mmegi wa Dikgang
- and the newspaper where I first cut my journalism teeth.


Twenty years ago, more Batswana were literate in Setswana than in
English. Both languages were treated as official. The colonial
administration had, out of necessity, made Setswana - which was spoken
by up to 90 percent of the population - a language of record. The size
of the language's geography was significant. It had a large ethnic base
and there were compelling reasons - social, political and economic -
for using it as a national and official language. The colonial
administration's pragmatism towards the language, was borne out of the
realisation that Setswana was the lingua franca of the Protectorate.
The regime decreed knowledge of Setswana a requirement for service in
the public sector, by far the largest employer at the time.


This situation was carried over into the immediate post-independence
period. Whilst there was no attempt to develop the language as a
national asset, there was an acknowledgment by the new administration
that Setswana was of national importance. To highlight some of this
acknowledgement:


- A Setswana Language Council exists to spearhead the technical
development of the language, especially with respect to the building of
the corpora;


- Most official texts were in English but there was no shortage of
Setswana literature;


- Tuition in primary schools was in Setswana, initially taught from
grades 1 to 6 and later to 4;


- Setswana was a compulsory subject in secondary school;


- The language had a standard orthography;


- Texts, including those in Mathematics, had been developed for use in
primary and secondary schools;


- The national university and teacher training colleges were offering
Setswana as an optional subject and producing graduates in the
language.


A few years ago, I returned from Namibia after my stint at Media
Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) headquarters. I was surprised at
the level of neglect Setswana had been subjected to in the short years
I had been out of the country. Unlike in the past, Government
departments did not seem to be obliged to publish documents in
Setswana. Commitment to the development of Setswana and other
indigenous languages was couched in platitudes - like in the Vision
2016 document where it is stated that "the nation's languages must be
taught to a high standard at all levels" and that "all Batswana must
have access to the media through national and local radio, television
and newspapers".


A number of concerned Batswana approached me with the idea of
resuscitating the language through the media. They wanted to start a
Setswana language newspaper, but were unsure about the reception in the
market. The feasibility study that followed made some interesting
revelations. Among the findings:


There was unanimity among political parties and local government
authorities that Setswana must take its rightful place in society. This
would require political will;


Setswana would benefit from the development of minority languages spoken
in the country, which are spoken by about 10 to 15 percent of the
population;


The role of language in education should be re-defined as this would
unlock the potential in our learners and teachers and lead to a nation
of innovators unimpeded by a foreign language they do not understand;


The use of Setswana in public affairs would lead to the participation of
the majority population in matters of public interest and make for
informed decision-making. This particular point was identified as a
serious weakness in the country's democracy;


In line with the wishes of the national vision, Vision 2016, a strong
culture of reading must be cultivated among the general populace. This
should make for "an informed and educated nation";


The survey also revealed a nation hungry for reading Setswana. Out of
the 559 respondents interviewed, 94% said they would read Setswana
newspapers if these were available. A very high proportion of the
interviewees (82%) felt that Setswana should be used in government
business.


I became involved with the Mokgósi initiative in a project management
capacity, in early 2002.


There were initially eight promoters, who I advised to get more Batswana
involved as this was no ordinary business project. Capital would not be
enough for it to succeed: Mokgósi needed as many people from as diverse
a background as possible to 'buy-into' the concept.


The number of shareholders today stands at 40. They are drawn from a
wide range of disciplines.


It was not a particularly tidy model to follow: the contributions came
in dribs and drabs, which meant that the programme of action was
severely compromised as a result of undercapitalisation from the
beginning. Initially we used commissioned personnel to run the paper.
Not even the editor was on the payroll. We also outsourced key services
such as design and production, accounting, newspaper distribution and
printing.


The good news is that the product had market appeal. To differentiate it
from existing titles, we packaged it as a broadsheet, the country's
first. The writing was initially intended to be light, easy to follow.
Good photography was to be an integral part of the product. This paid
off. Within six months of its launch, the paper won a number of prizes
sponsored by MISA (Botswana), being 'Best Designed Newspaper';
'Journalist of the Year' and 'Photographer of the Year'. Last year it
won in the 'Business Reporter of the Year' category.


As a business, Mokgósi has a long way to go. The paper operates in a
market that is increasingly becoming crowded and competitive. Botswana
has a population of 1,7 million, with an adult literacy rate of 79
percent. Other than Mokgósi, there are seven other newspapers that
compete for news and ad-spend. Publishing in Setswana is therefore no
recipe for success. To the contrary, it could be a recipe for failure.


In the absence of a policy framework that supports the development of
the national language, the paper is a threatened species. Worse, the
commercialisation of the free distribution government Daily News in
recent months, has adversely affected the paper's share of the
government advertising revenue, 90 percent of which was derived from
this source alone during the first year. Traditionally, newspapers in
small population markets like Botswana derive the bulk of their revenue
from advertising. The experience of the past 12 months indicate that in
so far as Mokgósi is concerned, this may not apply. Mokgósi must
therefore remain in the forefront of innovation with respect to its
income generating and market penetration strategies. It must be
innovative in the way it looks. It must be innovative in the way it
presents information to the public. It must be innovative in the way it
seeks to reach out to its readers, potential and actual, literate or
semi-literate; influential or the average person in the street.


Any new project has the potential to unlock economic opportunities that
were hitherto unknown, and Mokgósi is no exception. Among the
opportunities that may emanate as a result of the popularisation of
Setswana are research in the capacity building of the language, the
effect of its widespread use in the media on national/local government
policies and its potential impact in promoting good governance and
public accountability; the development of dictionaries, the development
of software to facilitate its use in the computer, translation,
transcription, standardisation of Sotho-Tswana as a modern language
(Sotho-Tswana is spoken by an estimated 8 - 10 million people in
Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia and
Zimbabwe).


The development of Setswana as a national language, let alone as a
cross-border language, requires huge investments in advocacy
initiatives. There are an estimated 7,000 languages spoken throughout
the world today. Thirty-six per cent face the prospect of extinction. A
third of this are said to be in Africa. It took the Welsh 50 years to
appreciate the value of their language and to lobby for its
resuscitation. Perhaps the most classic case in the modern era is the
Hebrew language, which was but technically dead 50 years ago.


Language encapsulates a people's culture, social mores, values, and
knowledge. When a language dies, a people's knowledge dies with it.
Language is about economic and social empowerment. More people can be
brought into public and productive life by wider and more productive
use of indigenous languages like Setswana. The development of language
can be used to promote a sound understanding of entrepreneurship,
commerce, economics, history, science and technology. More of our
people need to be educated and educate themselves on issues of their
material and natural environment, of economic, social and scientific
development, and all aspects of culture, entertainment, sports and
humour; of the importance of improving individual and societal health,
and of international, regional and African affairs. The mass use of
indigenous languages like Setswana can carry the population at large to
realising these ideals.


This is an abridged version of an acceptance speech delivered by the
former editor of Mmegi, Methaetsile Leepile, at the MISA Annual Gala
Dinner in Maseru on Friday after he won the MISA Press Freedom Award.
The award recognises an individual or organisation that has done the
most to further press freedom and freedom of expression in the Southern
African region in line with the Windhoek Declaration on the Promotion
of a Free, Independent and Pluralistic Press. Previous winners include
the late Makani Kabwedza (editor of Zimbabwe's Moto magazine), Geoff
Nyarota (editor of the defunct Daily News, in Zimbabwe), the late
Carlos Cardosso (founder and editor of MediaFax, in Mozambique), Gwen
Lister (publisher and editor of The Namibian), Fred M'mebe (publisher
of The Post, in Zambia), and the late Bright Mwape (a former journalist
at The Post).