Lowani Mtonga

Promote Malawian languages equally

Malawi does not have a clear language policy. This has resulted in government and institutions being insensitive to other languages and treating them as inferior. For example, government has continued with Chichewa as a core subject in the national school curriculum. This means Chichewa is a compulsory subject. As critic Dan Msowoya has rightly observed, such a move is unconstitutional. In a country of about 16 million people and close to 15 ethnic groups, it is unfair to require all pupils to take Chichewa as a subject against their wish. It should be out of choice and not imposition.

Millions of Malawians speak Lhomwe, Sena, Tumbuka and Yao.  Why should government continue elevating Chichewa as a compulsory subject and in other forms of communications? This shows lack of respect of other language groups.

We are now living in a democratic era in which all language groups should be promoted.  It is still strange that Chichewa is also the prominent language on MBC. Unfortunately, the trend has also spread to other institutions.  For example, Zodiak, Times TV and Joy TV do not broadcast in other languages other than English and Chichewa.  Mobile phone companies also advertise their services in English and Chichewa only.

In countries where governments know what they are doing, they ensure that all languages are promoted. For example, if you go to Kenya, various language groups are represented on both radio and television. Similarly, in South Africa, all language groups are represented. The same goes for other countries. It is only in Malawi where government does things in a retrogressive manner.

People did not choose to speak the language they speak. They were born into it. It is the duty of government to protect and promote all language groups. While a person may belong to a large ethnic group, there is no such a thing as a language being superior to the other.

People should be accepted as they are and not to be swallowed by other language groups for any reason. It is imperative, therefore, that government is not seen to be promoting Chichewa at the expense of other Malawi language groups. Language is part of culture and plays an important role in the socialisation process. By making Chichewa as a compulsory subject, government is killing other language groups. If anything, learners should be taught in their mother tongue, especially in the foundation phase of their education.

Malawi has effectively moved towards cultural imperialism where other language groups want to swallow others or see other groups as insignificant. The danger is that some language groups become ethnocentric. For example, many people from other regions do not speak or learn Chitumbuka despite living in the Northern Region (such as Mzuzu) for many years. Yet northerners who live in the Central and Southern regions are expected to speak Chichewa. Malawi needs to embrace unity in diversity at all levels of society and not to suppress other languages.n

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