[lg policy] All languages are equal in Malawi: Tumbukas can fight to preserve their language

Fri Mar 16 14:30:05 UTC 2018

 All languages are equal in Malawi: Tumbukas can fight to preserve their
language
March 15, 2018 Lowani Mtonga 5 Comments
<https://www.nyasatimes.com/languages-equal-malawi-tumbukas-can-fight-preserve-language/#comments>

Desmond Dudwa Phiri has argued that if the Tumbukas want to preserve their
language they should initiate action. He has further shifted the
responsibility to Livingstonia Synod to preserve the language.

What action the Tumbukas should take to achieve that goal is unclear. Why
the Livingstonia Synod should be singled out to preserve Tumbuka language
as if other churches do not preach in Tumbuka is something that one cannot
understand.

Preserving a language is not only the responsibility of the people who
speak it, but, to a large extent, a deliberate government policy.

Malawi lacks a language policy that can guide the government on how other
languages should be promoted and treated.

For example, the State broadcaster should have been opened up to all the
ethnic groups to express themselves and not just Chichewa.

Besides, government should have been encouraging Malawians
<http://rd.bizrate.com/rd?t=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB07712SNFN%2Fref%3Dasc_df_B07712SNFN5397122%3Ftag%3Dshopz0d-20%26ascsubtag%3Dshopzilla_mp_1387-20%3BSZ_REDIRECT_ID%26creative%3D395261%26creativeASIN%3DB07712SNFN%26linkCode%3Dasn&mid=184059&cat_id=10010800&atom=10272&prod_id=&oid=8689874385&pos=1&b_id=18&bid_type=4&bamt=48cd9202db195e9b&cobrand=1&ppr=ea2c15a289e533b3&rf=af1&af_assettype_id=12&af_creative_id=2973&af_id=26865&af_placement_id=1&dv=0a2e9f0da04df303d857c98626b6609d>
to use their mother language to communicate.

This is in line with Section 26 of the Constitution which says: “Every
person shall have the right to use the language and to participate in the
cultural life of his or her choice.”

Although the clause is vague, it is obviously referring to the right of
everyone to use their mother language or language of their choice in public
communication. But government has overlooked this important clause to
promote Chichewa only. Why?

A government that is nondiscriminatory makes deliberate steps to promote
all languages.

For example, the South African government promotes all the languages
equally, including sign language, which is now recognised as part of
language of communication.

All language groups are represented on the public broadcaster SABC (they
have their own radio stations) and learners at both primary and high school
are free to learn in their own language.

Since founding president Hastings Kamuzu Banda banned Tumbuka in 1969 on
MBC, there has not been any political will to accord Tumbuka, spoken by
millions, its rightful place in Malawi.

All successive political parties that have been in power post 1994—United
Democratic Front (UDF), People’s Party (PP) and Democratic Progressive Party
<http://rd.bizrate.com/rd?t=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0742TQKQ7%2Fref%3Dasc_df_B0742TQKQ71520679600000%3Ftag%3Dshopzilla0d-20%26ascsubtag%3Dshopzilla_rev_5-20%3BSZ_REDIRECT_ID%26creative%3D395261%26creativeASIN%3DB0742TQKQ7%26linkCode%3Dasn&mid=184056&cat_id=10060900&atom=10303&prod_id=&oid=8371807855&pos=1&b_id=18&bid_type=4&bamt=823abe7ec9c4bc8a&cobrand=1&ppr=941a228c99a7c190&rf=af1&af_assettype_id=12&af_creative_id=2973&af_id=615103&af_placement_id=1&dv=0a2e9f0da04df303d857c98626b6609d>
(DPP) have failed to promote minority languages.

What we have seen is systematic suppression and discrimination of Tumbuka
and other minority languages.

For how long should this continue?

Section 20 of the Constitution prohibits discrimination of persons in any
form including language. The government should, therefore, be held
accountable for discriminating Tumbuka and other minority languages in
communication.

The Tumbukas and other minority groups have all the reason to demand that
government take necessary steps to promote their languages. One such step
is to have learners learn in their mother language in primary schools.
Citizens should be free to be who they are.

Unfortunately, the government has maintained the policy that learners in
primary and secondary school should be learning Chichewa throughout Malawi
at the expense of other languages.

This policy was introduced by Kamuzu to suppress Tumbuka and other
languages. It should be discontinued in a democratic era.

All languages are equal regardless of whether they are spoken by the
majority or not.

It is equally unfortunate that members of Parliament have not raised the
issue of promoting all languages in Malawi in parliament.

The Tumbukas can fight to preserve their language, but if government closes
space for that promotion it is a futile exercise.

Opening up MBC to diverse ethnic groups and changing the policy that says
learners should learn in their own mother tongue will go a long way in
preserving Tumbuka and other minority languages. The decision for such a
radical change cannot come from the Tumbukas or Livingstonia Synod. It is
the domain of Executive and Parliament

-- 
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

 Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
 Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone:  (215) 898-7475
Fax:  (215) 573-2138

Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

-------------------------------------------------
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lgpolicy-list/attachments/20180316/02963eda/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
_______________________________________________
This message came to you by way of the lgpolicy-list mailing list
lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu
To manage your subscription unsubscribe, or arrange digest format: https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/listinfo/lgpolicy-list