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"We Mwega" a grandmother says. Her
voice is young and melodious belying the wrinkled face and
crooked back that she presents. Her ten year old grandson
to whom the common Kikuyu greeting is directed stares blankly.
He does not understand a word of his native tongue and his
cucu (grandmother) sighs in exasperation.
This is a common occurrence in everyday life in Kenya. The
indigenous languages of the forty two or so ethnic groups
are rapidly disappearing, such as that of the ancient El Molo
people, their language is virtually extinct. Much of the current
generation speak their neighbor's tongue. Learned scholars
and pundits all groan in collective desperation at this loss
of identity and say it bodes no good for the African continent.
Everyone seems to agree that this loss of native speech bodes
no good for the region and has in a large part contributed
to the identity crisis now facing the continents youth. "They
don't know where they are coming from, therefore how can they
know where they are going?" This is the question many
raise when they see idle youths.
But, isn't this a one sided argument? Is there another side
to the coin? Is there anything positive that can come out
of this?
I think there is.
I am one of the guilty parties so I am speaking from some
experience. I can hardly string together a coherent sentence
in my mother tongue 'Kikuyu' although I can understand a fairly
slow conversation. As a result of this, it is true, I have
had difficulty communicating with my grandparents and fully
understanding our cultural beliefs. I have felt left out when
we have a family get together and my cousins are happily chatting
away as I am left trying to follow discussions. But there
have also been benefits.
For one, this has enabled me to develop deep and meaningful
friendships with members of other races and ethnic groups.
That is not to say those who are fluent cannot do this but
in my opinion there is a significant reduction in ethnic association.
It is human nature to relate to those with whom we share certain
common characteristics. It is little wonder that Kenyans,
Nigerians and other Africans abroad will tend to congregate
together whenever the opportunity arises, but when it is not
possible to associate with ones kinsman, an opportunity for
further interaction with others arises.
Unity would also be further encouraged. Take the example
of Tanzania as compared to Kenya. In Kenya, ethnic group comes
first then country. I am a Kamba, Kikuyu or Luo before I am
a Kenyan. However in Tanzania all the various ethnic groups
have been consolidated under the Swahili language which, like
English in Kenya, is the official language of their country.
Outsiders cannot be blamed for thinking that Tanzanians all
share a common ethnic background because of the outward harmony
that they display.
Generally speaking, languages, like all civilizations follow
a cyclic pattern of evolution similar to a graph. They start
with a steep incline as the language is born and develops,
this is followed by a plateau where it is in common use and
understood by the members of that particular society and finally
it enters into a sharp downward curve as it enters its decline
and perhaps eventual extinction due to various forces. A case
in point is Latin that for more than a thousand years was
the language spoken across parts of Europe, Africa and Asia,
today, its usage if very much limited. Even though it is still
used by the Catholic Church, it is no longer learned as a
first language by nation states (excepting State of the Vatican
City).
There is perhaps hope for African languages in the future.
In this age of globalization and rapid change, it is necessary
to adapt in order to avoid getting swept away by the tide.
Take an example from the English language, 'Shakespeare' would
probably not recognize three out of ten words spoken if he
were to come back today. That is because the English that
was spoken in his day has evolved to that which is spoken
today and it continues to evolve. English has to adapt to
survive, it regularly adopts words from other languages (e.g.
'tycoon' and 'pyjama') to keep up with the times. Perhaps
it is time we did the same.
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