A proud South African woman

I love my country South Africa with all its colours, madness and languages.

In 2016 we started clinging to the buzz word “decolonization”

It was decolonize education system, higher education institutions, banks and the economy at large. It came across as some new thing that was fueled by the fees must fall movement, but truth be told, this has been around for some time.

Our former president Mr Thabo Mbeki tried, in his unique way, to make us see the importance of reclaiming our true identities, with his “I am an African” speech. That is just my take from that anyway.

We want to enjoy our freedom as Africans, be taken serious as Africans and be respected as Africans, but we fail tremendously with one big thing; the undermining of our own languages. I will start with the most disliked language in our country, which by the way is really and truly a South African language, Afrikaans.

Yes Afrikaans is a true testament of the revolution of languages, whereby it came into existence as a bridge between different cultures that came to trade in the Cape. Unfortunately the minority that decided to take it and own it, used it to oppress the majority that helped make the language. It is not the language that step on the majority’s toes but the people that chose to misuse it.

We have eleven official, no nation has done that, official language in our country, celebrate Freedom day in April and Heritage day in September, and what we do is turn them into political campaigning, braai and get drunk as much as you can days. Whereas we could be taking those opportunities to create interactions across our diverse cultures and teach each other our beautiful languages.

How do we think the English managed to get almost the whole world interacting in their language? How did Christianity become the most popular of all religions, and even influence how governments run their countries?

They took their time to TEACH one person at a time and TELLING that person to teach those they live with and so on, and to practise that each day until they were perfect.

Why do we see our home languages as inferior, and yet we cry decolonization?

I am taking a stand and will be posting once a month on all my platforms in SETSWANA and will not translate any of them, because I am proud of my language and want the world to see and here it.

I am not that cruel so I will be posting those on the 16 of each month for 2017 so don’t be surprised if you see some crazy language you don’t understand. Today I will start with some simple translations but that is the ONLY time that, that happens.

South Africans especially black South Africans, ask yourselves this, what does it mean to you to have freedom under a decolonized country? What are you doing to decolonize yourself?

Is your Motswana child who CANNOT speak and read your mother tongue decolonized because they can speak English?

Did we fight and die for our freedom just to oppress ourselves yet again?

Did we suddenly stop buying doom, petrol, Dettol and all other products that those prophet MISUSED in their tents?

So be proud of AFRIKAANS, hell, we South Africans made that language come to life, just like we are proud to be associated with the kreepy krauly and the first human heart transplant, let us own ALL our official languages.