The Ministry of Tourism and Arts is gearing up for the commemoration of the International Mother Language Day that falls every year on February 21.
This year, the Department of Arts and Culture wants to work closely with media to review what local languages have achieved since they were introduced in schools from Grade One to Grade Four in 2011.
The government has already shown the importance of local languages by introducing these languages as medium of instruction in schools at primary levels.
The Department also will also use platform to see if the national anthem is still be sung in the different local languages in schools.
According to Victor Makashi, the Director of Arts and Culture at the Ministry, the Zambia National Anthem has very rich messages in every stanza and hence the need to internalize these messages in the song.
“The messages is the song can really help our country to move forward as a unitary state, some of the issues like tribalism would be a thing of the past as the song tells us to work together as a unit,” he says.
He says language is part of the culture, which has been emphasized, and all traditional ceremony activities are conducted in local languages.
“We therefore need to make people understand what is communicated in local languages in the attire as some concepts cannot be explained in English,” he says.
Local languages allow people to unify in diversity hence adding value to a people.
Zambia is rich culturally because it is highly diverse in terms of language.
International Mother Language Day gives people an opportunity to reflect on the importance of local languages as an important component of our cultural heritage.
Celebrating this day promotes awareness of language and cultural diversity across all the world.
UNESCO first announced it on November 17, 1999.
Ifyabupuba. We have 72 tribes with about the same number of languages. Can we have all of them being taught in schools? I cannot stand the fact that my children will have to learn a local language which has nothing to do with their roots. If I am a lenje living in the Copperbelt it means my children will be learning Bemba right? For what really? If I am a Bemba living in Lusaka, my children will be learning Nyanja or is it Chichewa? For what purpose? We Zambians are very docile, first we voted for an ignorant man who had never sat on a desk and then allowed him to introduce stupid education reforms. It makes me feel really stupid for having voted for that fool in 2011.
Kuimba sibalesa manje, Kaimbidwe. Uyu Mtsikana ali pa picture chioneka akonda kuimba. Or Kapena nyimbo niyabwino
Tuli bujisi nobantu, nochilema tulachibweza, utayandi achileke.
Is it National Mother Language Day or International?
It is important to preserve and celebrate the thousands of minority languages, but, recalling the vision of the founder of Esperanto, also to find common ways to interact with each other and to foster friendship, peace, understanding, co-operation and interdependence of nations and peoples. Esperanto has a dual role in promoting diversity and creating unity.
http://www.linguistic-rights.org/21-02-2017/21-a-de-februaro-Internacia-Tago-de-la-Gepatra-Lingvo.html