Date: 22/02/05
Source: The Presidency
Title: Zuma: UNESCO International Mother Language Day
Address by Deputy President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, at the UNESCO International Mother Language Day, Pretoria
22 February 2005
Professor Thipa, Chairperson of the Pan-South African Language Board and other members of the Board, Professor CN Marivate, Chief Executive Officer of PanSALB, Madame Donli, President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Distinguished Guests,
Dumelang, Khotsong, Molweni, Good Evening, Goeie Naand, Thobela, Ndi madekwana, Ri perile, Sanbonani, Lotshani, Sanibona,
Let me begin by thanking the Pan-South African Language Board for organising the celebration of this year's UNESCO International Mother Language Day.
This event, which was first observed throughout the world on 21 February 2000, reminds us of the sanctity of all indigenous languages as instruments of heritage, identity as well as nation building.
It is for this reason that language becomes a highly emotive issue, as it is central to the existence of people and to their definition of who they are, who they want to be, and how they wish to be identified.
Ngithe uma ngiqala nje anginibingelele ngazo zonke izilimi zakwelakithi, ukukhombisa ukubaluleka kwazo, kanye nokubaluleka kosuku lwayizolo, njengoba besibungaza futhi siphinde sigubhe lolusuku lwezilimi ezancelwa ebeleni, emhlabeni wonke jikelele.
Umthetho sisekelo wethu wase Ningizimu Afrika wakhelwe phezu kwesisekelo esithi zonke izilimi zakithi kufanele zihlonishwe, uphinde uthi izwe lethu linezilimi ezisemthethweni eziyishumi nanye. Zonke lezizilimi zibaluleke ngokulinganayo ngaphansi komthetho nasezizinhlelweni zikahulumeni. Alukho ulimi okufanele lucwaswe noma lubukelwe phansi. Zonke kufanele zisetshenziswe ngendlela efanayo futhi ehambisana nomthethosisekelo.
Umthethosisekelo ubuye ulibeke ngembaba elokuthi ngokomlando izilimi eziningi zalapha kwelakithi bezingasetshenziswa ngendlela efanayo, ngakhoke kumele ukuthi uhulumeni athathe izinyathelo ezinqala ukwenzela ukuthi lezozilimi zithuthukiswe.
Lomgubho usinika inselelo thina njengomphakathi nabantu baseNingizimu Afrika, ukuthi yikuphi okufanele sikwenze ukuze sithuthukise izilimi zethu, futhi siziqhenye ngazo, sizisebenzise gokungazenyezi lapho sibuthene khona, kusukela emakhaya, ezikoleni nasemisebenzini nezinye izindawo. Uma senza njalo ngeke zinyamalale emhlabeni.
Iminyango kahulumeni, efana nomnyango Wobuciko, Amasiko Namagugu (Arts and Culture), kanye nowezemfundo neminye, inezinhlelo eziningi ezenzelwe ukuthuthukiswa kokusetshenziswa kwalezizilimi eminyangweni kahulumeni, nasemphakathini jikelele.
Ladies and gentlemen, language has always been central to socio-political and economic relations in our country. It was one of the instruments used to divide and subjugate the black majority, and was the premise on which the homeland policy was based.
You will recall that one of the defining moments in our struggle, the 16th of June 1976 youth uprising was sparked by the imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in blacks schools. We therefore know the consequences of using language as a political instrument, and are determined to ensure that our country does not go down that road again.
As the President noted in his response to the State of the Nation debate, we should not use languages to exclude others, but to promote better understanding of one another's cultures.
Hence, our approach during the liberation struggle was always clear when it came to language issues. As early as 1955 we declared through the Freedom Charter in Kliptown, that: "all people shall have equal right to use their own languages, and to develop their own folk culture and customs."
We were guided by these principles as well when we adopted our Constitution in 1996, which enshrines the principle of respect for all eleven national languages, and the imperative that these should be treated equally before the law and in all state institutions.
Given the legacy of apartheid and its use of language and culture as instruments of power, only two of the 11 official languages are fully developed and enjoy precedence over other languages. We therefore need to bridge the gap and accelerate the efforts of promoting and developing the other nine languages.
We will have succeeded in our objectives when our mother tongue languages have reached a point where they are used in scientific discourse and as mediums of instruction for educational purposes, in the manner that the other two languages are.
We must emphasise that we do not seek to reverse the gains of English and Afrikaans, but we have a duty, all of us, including the speakers of English and Afrikaans as mother tongues, to develop the other nine official languages which have remained historically marginalised.
There is still a lot to be done in this regard. The ultimate achievement will be when we reach a situation where any citizen would engage government in any language of their choice, and not feel forced to speak or write in English or Afrikaans only.
We also need to promote and create conditions for the development of other mother languages which are not official languages such as the Khoi, Nama and San languages, as called upon to do so by the Constitution.
I would also like to emphasise that we all have a responsibility to work at promoting our official languages; it is not the responsibility of government alone.
Our first port of call should be the youth. We have a duty as parents to instil mother tongue pride in our children.
Although growing up in a cosmopolitan society, children need to be made to realise the importance of their mother language. This is critical for their sense of identity and belonging.
The ideal situation is that our children should be conversant in all 11 languages! If we cannot achieve that feat, we should at least achieve fluency and proficiency in the mother language.
To be able to achieve this goal, it is important for our schools to offer the languages that are common in the area where they are situated, and to encourage children to study mother languages. A Setswana speaking child should be able to learn Setswana as a language at a predominantly English or English-Afrikaans medium school that he or she attends.
In addition, a child whose mother tongue is English or Afrikaans should be encouraged and offered the opportunity to learn another indigenous language.
It would open up a whole new world for the child, and prepare him or her to connect with his or her compatriots in their mother tongues, opening up a whole new world and a whole new future.
The mass media also has a critical role to play in promoting indigenous languages. We would like to see more popular media products in indigenous languages.
I commend some of the media owners in the KwaZulu-Natal province. The province has three successful commercial isiZulu newspapers Ilanga, Isolezwe and Umafrika. The success of these publications indicates that people are actually keen to read in their mother tongue.
The indigenous language radio stations of the SABC are also another very welcome contribution to this notion of promoting languages.
Given our challenge to send a message to young people that it is "cool" to use indigenous languages, we also rely on the arts and entertainment sector.
In this regard, we congratulate the cast and production team of our very first international isiXhosa opera uCarmen eKhayelitsha, which has broken new ground.
The fruits of their labour are visible in the Golden Bear Award they won in the Berlin Film Festival last week. They did us proud and we are looking forward to watching this unique work of art when it plays on home soil.
In the same vein, we congratulate the producers of another groundbreaking film, Yesterday, which is the first ever international film to be produced in isiZulu, and which has been nominated for an Oscar Award in the United States.
We would obviously be ecstatic if the movie wins an Oscar, but even if it does not win, in our eyes, it is an absolute winner for proving that our languages can grace the international big screen.
Ladies and gentlemen, we also need to resuscitate the production of literature in indigenous languages. Many years back we used to enjoy outstanding novels and other works in indigenous languages.
Let me also use this opportunity to pay tribute to acclaimed Afrikaans author, Dalene Matthee, who died on Sunday night. Her contribution to Afrikaans literature and language promotion is immense.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, let us remember that languages are the carriers of cultural values from one generation to the other, among and different communities and people. It is also a vital bridge between nations of the world. Our 11 languages define us in a global context, and locate us within this Southern tip of Africa.
Let us therefore rededicate ourselves to promoting our mother tongues. We must work hard to mobilise the necessary resources, and build capacity to achieve this objective.
Isizwe yisizwe ngolimi lwaso kanye namasiko aso. Masibhukule sizithuthukise lezizilimi esazincela ebeleni.
Ke a leboga, Ke a leboha, Ndiyabulela, Thank You, Baie Dankie, Ro levhuwa, Hi nkhensile, Ngiyabonga, Ngiyathokoza.
Issued by: The Presidency
22 February 2005
Source: The Presidency
Title: Zuma: UNESCO International Mother Language Day
Address by Deputy President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, at the UNESCO International Mother Language Day, Pretoria
22 February 2005
Professor Thipa, Chairperson of the Pan-South African Language Board and other members of the Board, Professor CN Marivate, Chief Executive Officer of PanSALB, Madame Donli, President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Distinguished Guests,
Dumelang, Khotsong, Molweni, Good Evening, Goeie Naand, Thobela, Ndi madekwana, Ri perile, Sanbonani, Lotshani, Sanibona,
Let me begin by thanking the Pan-South African Language Board for organising the celebration of this year's UNESCO International Mother Language Day.
This event, which was first observed throughout the world on 21 February 2000, reminds us of the sanctity of all indigenous languages as instruments of heritage, identity as well as nation building.
It is for this reason that language becomes a highly emotive issue, as it is central to the existence of people and to their definition of who they are, who they want to be, and how they wish to be identified.
Ngithe uma ngiqala nje anginibingelele ngazo zonke izilimi zakwelakithi, ukukhombisa ukubaluleka kwazo, kanye nokubaluleka kosuku lwayizolo, njengoba besibungaza futhi siphinde sigubhe lolusuku lwezilimi ezancelwa ebeleni, emhlabeni wonke jikelele.
Umthetho sisekelo wethu wase Ningizimu Afrika wakhelwe phezu kwesisekelo esithi zonke izilimi zakithi kufanele zihlonishwe, uphinde uthi izwe lethu linezilimi ezisemthethweni eziyishumi nanye. Zonke lezizilimi zibaluleke ngokulinganayo ngaphansi komthetho nasezizinhlelweni zikahulumeni. Alukho ulimi okufanele lucwaswe noma lubukelwe phansi. Zonke kufanele zisetshenziswe ngendlela efanayo futhi ehambisana nomthethosisekelo.
Umthethosisekelo ubuye ulibeke ngembaba elokuthi ngokomlando izilimi eziningi zalapha kwelakithi bezingasetshenziswa ngendlela efanayo, ngakhoke kumele ukuthi uhulumeni athathe izinyathelo ezinqala ukwenzela ukuthi lezozilimi zithuthukiswe.
Lomgubho usinika inselelo thina njengomphakathi nabantu baseNingizimu Afrika, ukuthi yikuphi okufanele sikwenze ukuze sithuthukise izilimi zethu, futhi siziqhenye ngazo, sizisebenzise gokungazenyezi lapho sibuthene khona, kusukela emakhaya, ezikoleni nasemisebenzini nezinye izindawo. Uma senza njalo ngeke zinyamalale emhlabeni.
Iminyango kahulumeni, efana nomnyango Wobuciko, Amasiko Namagugu (Arts and Culture), kanye nowezemfundo neminye, inezinhlelo eziningi ezenzelwe ukuthuthukiswa kokusetshenziswa kwalezizilimi eminyangweni kahulumeni, nasemphakathini jikelele.
Ladies and gentlemen, language has always been central to socio-political and economic relations in our country. It was one of the instruments used to divide and subjugate the black majority, and was the premise on which the homeland policy was based.
You will recall that one of the defining moments in our struggle, the 16th of June 1976 youth uprising was sparked by the imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in blacks schools. We therefore know the consequences of using language as a political instrument, and are determined to ensure that our country does not go down that road again.
As the President noted in his response to the State of the Nation debate, we should not use languages to exclude others, but to promote better understanding of one another's cultures.
Hence, our approach during the liberation struggle was always clear when it came to language issues. As early as 1955 we declared through the Freedom Charter in Kliptown, that: "all people shall have equal right to use their own languages, and to develop their own folk culture and customs."
We were guided by these principles as well when we adopted our Constitution in 1996, which enshrines the principle of respect for all eleven national languages, and the imperative that these should be treated equally before the law and in all state institutions.
Given the legacy of apartheid and its use of language and culture as instruments of power, only two of the 11 official languages are fully developed and enjoy precedence over other languages. We therefore need to bridge the gap and accelerate the efforts of promoting and developing the other nine languages.
We will have succeeded in our objectives when our mother tongue languages have reached a point where they are used in scientific discourse and as mediums of instruction for educational purposes, in the manner that the other two languages are.
We must emphasise that we do not seek to reverse the gains of English and Afrikaans, but we have a duty, all of us, including the speakers of English and Afrikaans as mother tongues, to develop the other nine official languages which have remained historically marginalised.
There is still a lot to be done in this regard. The ultimate achievement will be when we reach a situation where any citizen would engage government in any language of their choice, and not feel forced to speak or write in English or Afrikaans only.
We also need to promote and create conditions for the development of other mother languages which are not official languages such as the Khoi, Nama and San languages, as called upon to do so by the Constitution.
I would also like to emphasise that we all have a responsibility to work at promoting our official languages; it is not the responsibility of government alone.
Our first port of call should be the youth. We have a duty as parents to instil mother tongue pride in our children.
Although growing up in a cosmopolitan society, children need to be made to realise the importance of their mother language. This is critical for their sense of identity and belonging.
The ideal situation is that our children should be conversant in all 11 languages! If we cannot achieve that feat, we should at least achieve fluency and proficiency in the mother language.
To be able to achieve this goal, it is important for our schools to offer the languages that are common in the area where they are situated, and to encourage children to study mother languages. A Setswana speaking child should be able to learn Setswana as a language at a predominantly English or English-Afrikaans medium school that he or she attends.
In addition, a child whose mother tongue is English or Afrikaans should be encouraged and offered the opportunity to learn another indigenous language.
It would open up a whole new world for the child, and prepare him or her to connect with his or her compatriots in their mother tongues, opening up a whole new world and a whole new future.
The mass media also has a critical role to play in promoting indigenous languages. We would like to see more popular media products in indigenous languages.
I commend some of the media owners in the KwaZulu-Natal province. The province has three successful commercial isiZulu newspapers Ilanga, Isolezwe and Umafrika. The success of these publications indicates that people are actually keen to read in their mother tongue.
The indigenous language radio stations of the SABC are also another very welcome contribution to this notion of promoting languages.
Given our challenge to send a message to young people that it is "cool" to use indigenous languages, we also rely on the arts and entertainment sector.
In this regard, we congratulate the cast and production team of our very first international isiXhosa opera uCarmen eKhayelitsha, which has broken new ground.
The fruits of their labour are visible in the Golden Bear Award they won in the Berlin Film Festival last week. They did us proud and we are looking forward to watching this unique work of art when it plays on home soil.
In the same vein, we congratulate the producers of another groundbreaking film, Yesterday, which is the first ever international film to be produced in isiZulu, and which has been nominated for an Oscar Award in the United States.
We would obviously be ecstatic if the movie wins an Oscar, but even if it does not win, in our eyes, it is an absolute winner for proving that our languages can grace the international big screen.
Ladies and gentlemen, we also need to resuscitate the production of literature in indigenous languages. Many years back we used to enjoy outstanding novels and other works in indigenous languages.
Let me also use this opportunity to pay tribute to acclaimed Afrikaans author, Dalene Matthee, who died on Sunday night. Her contribution to Afrikaans literature and language promotion is immense.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, let us remember that languages are the carriers of cultural values from one generation to the other, among and different communities and people. It is also a vital bridge between nations of the world. Our 11 languages define us in a global context, and locate us within this Southern tip of Africa.
Let us therefore rededicate ourselves to promoting our mother tongues. We must work hard to mobilise the necessary resources, and build capacity to achieve this objective.
Isizwe yisizwe ngolimi lwaso kanye namasiko aso. Masibhukule sizithuthukise lezizilimi esazincela ebeleni.
Ke a leboga, Ke a leboha, Ndiyabulela, Thank You, Baie Dankie, Ro levhuwa, Hi nkhensile, Ngiyabonga, Ngiyathokoza.
Issued by: The Presidency
22 February 2005
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