Lost in translation

Language plays a crucial role in cultural as well as ethnic identity. People are identified, mostly by the language they speak: The Nyakusya, Yao, Chewa, Sena or Tumbuka are mostly recognised by the language they speak before minding what food they eat, traditional dances they have and other cultural norms, traditions and practices.

Between 1881 and 1914, 13 European countries engaged in top gear of the invasion, occupation, colonisation and annexation of Africa, bringing in a period called New Imperialism, also known as the Conquest of Africa or the Partition of Africa. This is a period when the Europeans tried to root the ‘bush and savage’ characters of Africans. Apart from infusing new religions, the invaders brought new languages into the vanquished territories.

It is in this way that Mozambique and Angola became Portuguese territories while Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso became French colonies whereas Zambia, Malawi and Kenya became British colonies and the Dutch got South Africa.

With the world becoming a global village, European language on African soil has meant something tool: A key to open wider portals to the world. That is why French has an important place in Malawi, for instance, an English-speaking country in as much as the importance of English or Portuguese in French-speaking countries provides wider opportunities.

Honorary French Consul to Malawi, Luc Deschamps believes learning other languages opens wider doors, and exposes one to more cultures for personal development.

“It makes me feel happy when I hear Malawians speaking French, in as much I feel happy when I learn newer Malawian languages. It is just great to hear a Malawian speaking French, as I reckon they come from backgrounds where their mother tongues are either Chichewa, Chitumbuka or Chiyao,” says Deschamps.

In the past, the learning of French was confined to secondary schools in Malawi. Recently, a paradigm shift has been noted as some private primary schools have French as one of the subjects.

But learning and teaching of French in an English-speaking country like Malawi has its own problems.

Head of the French Department at the Chancellor College Dr Timwa Lipenga says it starts from home. Some parents feel French is not an important subject and discourage their children from taking the subject.

“It is seen as a subject that has no bearing in a English-speaking country like Malawi. But there are many opportunities. One can become an interpreter for some embassy or international organisations, translator, teacher and any other profession,” says Lipenga.

Lipenga believes it is difficult for a Malawian student to learn the language, as mostly they have nowhere else to practice their spoken and written French. “French in an English-speaking setting like Malawi is difficult to learn because apart from the classroom, students have no other means of speaking the language,” she believes.

A Form Four student at Stella Maris Secondary School, Glory Sekani, said she has difficulties learning French due to lack of teaching aids, and that outside the classroom, she only speaks the language with her ‘French’ friends.

“It is pretty hard. The only way we experience French conversation is through drama and that brings us in contact with other learners and build links,” said Sekani.

Louis Zulu, a teacher of French at Stella Maris Secondary School concurs with Lipenga that mastering French is difficult for Malawian students as beyond the classroom, they have no one to converse with.

“Some students don’t look at French as an important language. It is even difficult now since most schools do not have the audio-visual instruments that helped students master the language in the past. In the past, schools used to get audio tapes with conversations that were found in Pierre et Seydou, the book that was used in teaching the language,” said Zulu.

Reckoning the absence of the teaching aids, Association for the Teaching of French in Malawi president Willard Kalombo suggests being in a global village, the use of the Internet can help bridge the gap.

“A teacher can download some French lessons from the Internet. These can be used in class, in the absence of aids like radios or CD players,” says Kalombo, a teacher of French at Marymount Secondary School.

But, according to Zulu who is also an examiner of French, downloading from the Internet can have its own problems, since examinations are based on prescribed texts. “Students can learn how best to speak French following lessons on the Internet, yet fail the final exams.

As the colonial hangover continues, and the teaching and learning of French brings its own challenges, Shire Highlands Education Division inspector for schools responsible for language Sam Tembo believes platforms like French drama help improve spoken French.

“Although some take French as a not-so-important language for someone in an Anglophone country, it is very important. In fact, I have had friends who dropped the subject in secondary school and wanted to learn the language after their first degrees since they failed to get international jobs that demanded knowledge of two or more European languages,” says Tembo. n