WHO NEEDS A NATIONAL LANGUAGE…?
Every time I hear a Ugandan go like “We do not have a national language” in complaint, I just want to get them a pair of glasses so they can see that we don’t need one. What for? Okay I admit we are a heterogeneous country and therefore have over 50 different tribes in Uganda. This means finding a national language from within the country boundaries would be paving way for a civil war. Probably because an Itesot will not seat and watch Lumasaba climb the ladder beyond Luteso. But come to think of it, we have what I would prefer to call “Ugalanguage” that identifies us for who we are. If anybody mentioned ‘Kiwani’ in any urban plus some rural places in this country, on a scale of ten, eight would definitely decode that correctly in their minds. Such and more of these words like ‘bakowu’, ‘kawa’, ‘kajani’, ‘mbwase’ among others are fruits of an effortless learning process that has engulfed a bigger percentage of the population. Such a rich vocabulary that paints Ugandans Black Yellow Red without having to involve meetings, opinions, education programmes to teach people ‘Swahili’(the proposed National Language) is natural and convenient for our economy and mostly illiterate population. Talk about the simplicity of “Edutainment” that is the quickest way of disseminating new words that make up the “Ugalanguage”, it is economy friendly and widely embraced by all Ugandans, thanks to our local artists. Besides, most of the words in the ‘Ugalanguage’ simply identify with the plight of Ugandans and in a way binds them with a common sense of togetherness. Take for insitance the word ‘bakowu’, given its origin of the song ‘bakowu’ by Mathias Walukagga, it reflects on Ugandan’s suffocation from corruption, bad roads, poor health facilties and general poverty. Such beauty in a language that identifies/ describes our naturality in just a word that cuts across, we shall not find in some borrowed language. Wherever the language originated from, it must have had its own values that appealed to its creators. This is where I come in to say that there is need to recognize the language that is trending un noticeably instead of investing all effort and senses in a future of a borrowed and imposed language. Why put our brains on a silver platter for indoctrination, talk about setting the pace for future brain drain, was colonialism and this official English language not imperialism enough?
Okay there is the whole irresistible bait of the East African Community which Uganda is a part of and Kiswahili as a National language would be added advantage. That is right, especially considering the benefits that come with it in terms of unity and of course economically. But let’s get back to the roots in the countries where we are borrowing Kiswahili from. Kenya for instance has its own vocabulary of the language commonly known as ‘sheng’ that practically identifies the speakers as Kenyans even if they were speaking in a crowd of Ugandans. While a Ugandan will be taught “matatu”a Kenyan will say “nganya” to mean the same thing. This cements a sort of unity among the Kenyans. What am saying is Ugandans should drop this whole idea of foreign is better and start priotizing local and wealthy “Ugalanguage” that every Ugandan seems to use unconsciously especially the youth. “Ugalanguage” is something we should be proud of as originally Ugandan, in addition to our own different native languages. We need to have doctrines that only identify us as Ugandan besides the general unity with the rest of the world. I mean words that one mentions and they just paint them indigenous Ugandan without inquiry!
But at a rate where we have more resources directed towards having foreign languages taught to our children at the expense of tradition leaves me wondering whether we are patriotic enough not to mourn the independence of this beloved pearl of Africa. Where is our independence when we have to invest in being socialized by a language borrowed from another country? Where are black proud heads in the air in Uganda to fore see what the future of a Kiswahili speaking population in Uganda would be like? Would our traditional languages still stand strong? Would we still have our identity as Ugandan?
I do not want to be the opposer of Kiswahili, I just want to be the reminder of Ugandans of who they really are despite the different foreign trends to be embraced.
