Language, a Bridge Between Generations

Last Week, Namibia celebrated another heritage week – under the theme ‘Ba hindi be Lambi ye chizo chetu’, a Subiya phrase which translates as “torchbearers of our culture”.

Activities such as cultural festivals and heritage celebration events take place countrywide to help restore and preserve our traditions for future generations.

It’s important because civilisation, Christianity and to some extent colonialism have negatively affected our cultures and traditions.

The wearing of traditional attire has sometimes been seen as a less ‘civilised’ practice.

The use of local names are often denied, especially where people have sought church blessings through baptism.

People are indirectly pressured to use names with meanings that have no connection to their cultures, nor do they understand these meanings. 

The political will of the department of culture in the Ministry of Education, Youth, Innovation, Sport, Arts and Culture in providing a platform to support the preservation of the traditions has been admirable.

However, despite these and other efforts, our cultural and traditional practices seem to be declining.

‘KNOW YOUR PAST’

Individuals who can eloquently express themselves in their vernacular languages are decreasing.

Paradoxically, those who can confidently express themselves in English are also minimal, as grammatical errors are common in daily communications. 

Further, a lack of knowledge when it comes to traditions, such as brewing, ploughing, even knowing the local names of wild animals and plants, is prevalent.

We must all be worried about the future of our indigenous languages. 

The adage, “if one does not know where he/she is from it would be difficult to know where they are; let alone where they are going.

“Not knowing where one is going would subsequently result in challenges in identifying whether they are facing the right direction or not”, holds water.

Unless something is done, we risk facing indigenous languages becoming extinct and the loss of a traditional compass.  

Renowned Kenyan author and academic Ngugi wa Thiong’o teaches us that “when a language dies, a way of understanding the world dies with it; when it lives, the culture lives on”.

Wa Thiong’o helps us arrive at a vital conclusion: that the teaching of language is a supreme tool to bridge generations. 

LET’S LEARN

We therefore need to be deliberate in ensuring that indigenous languages are adequately taught in our schools.

In addition, subjects in indigenous languages must be introduced. Subjects that teach the history, farming practices, customary law and the traditions of that region must be introduced.

Experience teaches us that in the absence of a sufficient grasp of our languages, we can only observe a culture from the outside. 

Similarly, unless we adequately teach our indigenous languages, efforts to preserve and pass on traditions to future generations will be in vain.

Let’s teach and preserve our indigenous languages. They remain the supreme bridge between generations. 

• Immanuel Aron is a principal at a secondary school in the Oshana region. The views expressed here are entirely in his personal capacity.

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