No African language should be judged to be superior to others

Kenya’s literary icon Prof Ngugi Wa Thiong’o has been roundly criticised for choosing to address his audience in Kikuyu language during a ceremony to honour him as the 31st recipient of the Catalonia International Prize in Catalonia, Spain.

For a scholar who has never shied away from letting the world know that African languages do not belong to a lesser God, the award was befitting, but his critics ironically aver that he ought to have spoken in Kiswahili, another African language, arguing it would have reached a wider audience.

Just as there is no language which is superior to the other on the international scene, there is no African language that should be deemed inferior to the other. Had Ngugi chosen to speak in Kiswahili, a language predominant in East Africa and parts of Central Africa, his critics would have probably advised that he ought to have used English, ostensibly to reach a wider world audience.

The fact that Ngugi hails from Kenya does not automatically confer him eloquence in Kiswahili language. What if, like many Kenyans, “Kiswahili is not his mouth”, a Kenyan phrase denoting little grasp of a language?

Colonial masters

Kikuyu, just like Kiswahili or Yoruba, is a language which can be translated for people who do not understand it, just like the numerous books that have been written in Spanish, German, Italian and French and have been translated into English.

Unlike Africans, Europeans and Asians speak in their languages without blushing when they visit African countries, but instead of lampooning them to use languages we understand, we enthusiastically pull out all the stops to learn how to speak their languages.

We have created a society that falsely believes that the mastery of languages of our colonial masters denote intellectual stardom, forgetting that the Chinese, who do not use those languages as a medium of instruction, boast enviable technological, scientific, cultural and artistic development more than Africans who have thrown their native languages out of the window. We ridicule those with poor command of English language.

There are Kenyans who speak only English. No Kiswahili, no mother tongue, because parents and teachers have created an impression that speaking in English language is a ticket to success and civilisation, yet we have Kenyans who speak their native languages but are successful, too.

Kikuyu language

A case in point is President Uhuru Kenyatta who has never hidden his fluency in Kikuyu language, or Homa Bay Governor Cyprian Awiti, known for his love for Dholuo.

This is not to denigrate English or any other European language, the point is Africans should start viewing themselves as equal partners with other continents in a world that continues to be smaller.

 This love shouldn’t be construed to mean a call for toxic nationalism or racism, but a realisation that everyone was born with a language and culture which is rich, unique and ought to be protected.

Many Chinese, Frenchmen and Spaniards have a grasp of the English language, but when they come to Kenya, they address us from State House, Nairobi, in their languages without blinking. There is no better way to showcase your existence than to proudly address an international gathering in a language you understand better.

That African languages have in the past been used by blood thirsty tyrants and their hirelings to occasion ethnic violence should not be the basis for their extinction. What we should patriotically be doing as Africans is to reject those amongst us taking us to that ugly rout of tribal supremacy.

Africa needs more Ngugis. I dream of a day when an African leader will take to the stage at the UN General Assembly and address the gathering in Luo, Igbo, Zulu or Kinyarwanda.

Joab Apollo is a freelance journalist. @ApolloJoab. [email protected]