Language as an instrument for Africa’s development
Lazarus Sauti
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This method of human communication, which could be in the form of either
spoken or written and which also takes in the use of words in as agreed way, cannot
be under-estimated.
Without doubt, it has power to hinder development in countries within and
across the great African continent.
This is so because nations that give value to their local languages are
more economically advanced that those that neglect their indigenous languages.
Countries such as China, Japan and Malaysia are doing well economically
because they are using their local languages but other developing nations are
struggling to take off economically because they depend too much on exotic
languages.
Sadly, African languages have
been stultified and marginalised in the mainstream of the economy, which
appears to be one of the reasons for Africa’s underdevelopment.
Use of foreign (exotic)
languages in most African countries leaves citizens with more questions than
answers. One question was asked by Wise Magwa of Midlands State University
(Zimbabwe) and Davie E. Mutasa of the University of South Africa (UNISA).
In an article “Language
and Development: Perspectives from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)” Magwa and Mutasa
asked, “Can Africa achieve stable development when the speakers continue to use
languages that appear to hamper the education of the majority and communication
with and among the majority?”
To answer this question,
Magwa and Mutasa note, “Development in Africa can never be achieved without
serious considerations of the role of African languages in social, educational,
economic and political processes.”
This means development
in countries within and across Africa cannot be secured without full
involvement of the indigenous people through the use of their languages.
Accordingly, there is a
close relationship between language and development and that relationship is
enough to prove that meaningful development cannot take place where linguistic
barriers exist.
This is so because
language is an emblem that switches an individual from misery to plenty, from
backwardness to progress and from backwaters to the centre of life; and a vital
tool in the promotion of nationalism in the sense that language holds the key
to the establishment of true democracy and equality.
Importantly, language, true
democracy and equality are important ingredients in the development matrix of
any states in the world.
Since development is a
process that involves the entire spectrum of the society with each individual
making a contribution, the transfer of skills, new knowledge and any other
vital information desired to effect production of quality goods and services,
can best be delivered to the target group through a person’s first language.
To fulfil development
goals in the continent, African languages should therefore be empowered and
promoted.
They could be empowered
by utilising them more widely in the education process, utilising the knowledge
of how the elders in the society have dealt with development issues and
incorporating that knowledge into the education of its young people.
This means that the
African Union (AU) should urge member states to preserve African languages and
use them widely in the education process.
More so, AU should challenge
member states to learn from major world economies like
Japan and China that have used their indigenous languages in enhancing their
technological advancements.
Academicians in the
continent can also help a great deal in the struggle to utilise local languages
to Africa’s advantage.
Zambian politician Dora
Siliya thinks, “Academicians in the region can assist their governments in
dispelling widely held misconceptions among many Africans that indigenous
languages cannot be used as instruments for scientific and socio-economic
development.”
Africans should be
reminded that indigenous languages are cool and they should be conscientised to
be proud of their mother languages.
Sharing same views with
Siliya, Dr. Wilson Mwenya of the University of Zambia believes academicians and
scholars in Africa should engage their respective governments in formulating
language policies that can enable citizens to meaningfully participate in the attainment
of sustainable social and economic development.
Development players and
stakeholders in the education sector should therefore devise mechanisms that
facilitate the formulation and implementation of language policies in the continent.
Sadly, most – if not
all African countries – overlook the importance of language policies.
Ultimately, the
crafting of language policies will enhance the documentation of African languages
so that they can be used as instruments of mass communication, mass education,
and socio-economic development in the continent.
Language serves as one
of the most important tools for the development of individuals or communities.
Accordingly, African
governments should promote the use of indigenous languages to effectively
change the socio-economic face of the continent.
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