23 Feb 2014

Promotion and preservation of languages is important for human existence because through language human beings share ideas, make plans, understand and appreciate one another.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Shaw Kgathi said this at the commemoration of National Languages Day at Letlhakane on February 21.He said other than just speaking the different languages, it was critical to document local languages as a way of safe guarding them for posterity.

Mr Kgathi said it was pleasing to note that some communities, mainly through local and community cultural organisations are taking a lead in promoting and documenting local languages. They have developed grammars, orthographies and also produced books in local languages at different levels, he said.

“As we promote and preserve our local languages, we should be mindful of the importance of appreciating the languages of other nations. We live in a global world and being able to speak the languages of other nations will improve our chances of making socio-economic gains and being competitive in the global arena,” he said.

The decline in the use of local languages, he said cannot be ignored especially among the youth. The situation poses real danger to the transmission of local values, beliefs, traditions and culture in general, he noted. He said,“The modernisation and development of these languages presents an opportunity for the building of a strong moral fabric of our society, lest other nations through their languages and cultures will swallow us into extinction.”

Kgathi said the commemoration theme, “My language, my pride” which literally translates to “Ke ipela ka teme yame” in Setswana seeks to encourage individuals, communities, government, Non-Governmental Organisations and all to commit to the development of languages, particularly local languages and to ensure the mainstreaming of languages in all activities and programmes. He said there must be a deliberate effort to promote the different languages spoken in the country.

The International Mother Languages Day is observed annually on February 21 worldwide to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism, he said. Minister Kgathi said language play an integral part in education and learning, value systems, the transmission of national heritage and history, national unity, commerce and the development of a country.

He said the government recognises the importance of languages and cultures in socio-economic development adding that National Development Plan 10 (NDP 10) recognises that the country’s diverse cultures, languages and traditions are irreplaceable treasures of value that need to be preserved, promoted and appreciated.

 Kgathi said MYSC has also set up an advisory structure, the National Languages Committee which advises on issues related to language development in the country.  Furthermore, Kgathi said government has ratified the 2003 Convention on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).

One of the key tenets of the convention, he said is to raise awareness and facilitate safeguarding of ICH elements at local and international levels through oral traditions and expressions, using mainly local languages as vehicles of transmission. During the commemoration, Minister Kgathi also launched the second edition of a booklet on the different languages of Botswana titled “Our Languages our pride” adding that the first edition developed by the National Languages Committee was published in 2008.

Minister said the booklet will contribute significantly to existing literature and have a positive effect in terms of language development in the country. ENDS