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Meghan Ward's Friends
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Swali nyeti: Can censoring indigenous languages prevent ethnic hatred?
About this category: Media
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Today, a status update on the Facebook fan page of the Daily Nation has clarified the guidelines that users are expected to follow. The rationale behind the guidelines is to promote spirited discussions that remain within the bounds of decency and the law. This is not surprising at all. January 23rd 2012 is an important day in Kenyan history. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has finally made the ruling that four Kenyan men will stand trial for allegedly committing crimes against humanity during the 2007-2008 Post Election Violence (PEV). The four men are William Ruto, Uhuru Kenyatta, Francis Muthaura and Joshua Arap Sang.
Many Kenyans have heaved a huge sigh of relief at the ICC’s ruling. They would like to see justice for those who were killed, maimed and terrorized during the PEV, and realize that this would be next to impossible in a Kenyan court of law. Of course the ICC’s ruling is not an indication that any of the men is guilty by law. They still have to go to trial for that to be established or disproven. Furthermore, some have pointed out that it took more than four people to engineer the bloody events of 2007 and 2008 and that, consequently, any justice achieved at the end of the day is unlikely to be complete. Regardless of the outcome of the trial, Kenyans can rest assured that the trial will force them to come to terms with the underbelly of Kenyan political culture.
This brings us back to the Daily Nation’s Facebook fan page, where various Kenyan critics and supporters of the four men have expressed their respective elation and anger at the ruling. In response to the inciting language used by some, the moderator of the page has seen fit to reiterate the guidelines for posting on the page. Some of the guidelines entail basic internet courtesy. They ask fans to be courteous, to avoid posting in ALL CAPS and to refrain from personal attacks against each other. Others are targeted at more serious forms of offensive speech. Defamation, hate speech, sexism, tribalism and racism in posts are forbidden.
The guidelines outlined thus far sound reasonable. However, the third guideline, concerning the use of language, is curious. It states, “Since participants in the forums are from mixed backgrounds, English shall be the primary language of conversation. Some widely "accepted" slang and pidgin - Sheng -might also be permitted.” This is a curious statement for two primary reasons. One is the fact that Swahili, Kenya’s national language is completely dismissed in a forum predominantly frequented by Kenyan speakers of Swahili. The second is the fact that Kenya’s other indigenous languages are dismissed with a simple flourish. The latter can be justified as a temporary measure to keep the discussion open and minimally-polarized but there is no legitimate reason to disallow the use of Swahili on the forum.
Considering that the Nation Media Group publishes Taifa Leo, the national Swahili-language newspaper, and makes regular media broadcasts in eloquent Swahili, disallowing the use of Swahili on the Facebook page makes absolutely no sense. I am not even going to pretend to understand the reasoning behind it. I hope that when the number of people complaining about that ‘oversight’ reaches critical mass, the moderator of the page will correct it. I will, however, spend some time discussing the connection between the guideline and Kenyans’ conflicted relationships with their indigenous languages. While Swahili is an indigenous language, it is also the national language of Kenya, more widely spoken than English and understood by most Kenyans. Thus some of my statements about indigenous languages below may not apply to Swahili.
For the record, I don’t think that banning the use of Kenya’s indigenous languages in ‘Kenyan’ virtual space will neutralize the hateful sentiments felt by many Kenyans about their fellow Kenyans. Any person determined to post in hateful language will do so, even in English or Sheng’. However, I understand the reasons behind this decision on the part of the moderator of this Facebook page.
Some Kenyans resort to the use of their indigenous languages when they want to express hateful sentiments about other ethnic groups. The indigenous language has become, for them, a code to unite ‘insiders’ and to mark them as unique and different from the hated ‘outsiders.’They post divisive and inciting statements in their respective languages, often using objectifying code words to refer to the ‘other.’ Interestingly, the average person that does this seems to be of the opinion that speaking in his or her indigenous language offers protection from public scrutiny. The person erroneously believes that members of other ethnic groups will not understand these statements and that all members of his or her ethnic group will sympathize with them.
People who have been following the ICC hearings will point out that media broadcasts and speeches by public personalities in indigenous languages were characterized by the same problems and ultimately played a significant role in fracturing Kenyan society and inciting the different sides to violence in 2007-2008. Others will point out that various Kenyan discussion boards and blogs allowed the same kind of unmoderated hate speech in indigenous languages, and consequently made the situation worse. It is this history of the misuse of Kenya’s indigenous languages that makes any Kenyan entity that maintains an interactive forum online or in the mass media wary about allowing indigenous language contributions. It is not surprising that some of them would opt to completely do away with Kenyan indigenous languages and the logistical complications of trying to moderate comments in these languages.
Kenyan indigenous languages have clearly earned a terrible reputation, particularly in recent years. But is this reputation fair? Are these languages primarily the vehicles for the expression of hatred? Of course the reputation is unfair. Indigenous languages are not primarily used to express hatred and create divisiveness. Indigenous languages are vehicles for the expression of every aspect of culture- the good, the bad and the ugly. So is English, and so is Sheng’. In fact, many Kenyans who spend time online will attest that tribalism, racism and other forms of hatred are predominantly articulated in English on Kenyan forums.
Hatred is not brought into being by indigenous languages. In reality, many Kenyans live in cosmopolitan communities and are, consequently, multilingual. They worship together, go to school together, do business together, often intermarry and learn each other’s languages. So Kenya’s indigenous languages are the collective heritage of the Kenyan people. Banning the use of these languages in cosmopolitan forums is not a long-term solution for anything.
That said I cannot blame the NMG for trying to keep things simple on their Facebook page. Disallowing the use of Kenya’s indigenous languages is probably a wise move in the short term: it will make the page relatively easy to moderate in a time of heightened sensitivities. However, they will eventually have to come up with a sustainable approach to moderating comments that does not involve the censorship of entire languages.
This work is licensed to R. Kahendi under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License.
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| January 23, 2012 | 7:07 PM |
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Can censoring indigenous languages prevent ethnic hatred?
About this category: Media
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Today, a status update on the Facebook fan page of the Daily Nation has clarified the guidelines that users are expected to follow. The rationale behind the guidelines is to promote spirited discussions that remain within the bounds of decency and the law. This is not surprising at all. January 23rd 2012 is an important day in Kenyan history. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has finally made the ruling that four Kenyan men will stand trial for allegedly committing crimes against humanity during the 2007-2008 Post Election Violence (PEV). The four men are William Ruto, Uhuru Kenyatta, Francis Muthaura and Joshua Arap Sang.
Many Kenyans have heaved a huge sigh of relief at the ICC’s ruling. They would like to see justice for those who were killed, maimed and terrorized during the PEV, and realize that this would be next to impossible in a Kenyan court of law. Of course the ICC’s ruling is not an indication that any of the men is guilty by law. They still have to go to trial for that to be established or disproven. Furthermore, some have pointed out that it took more than four people to engineer the bloody events of 2007 and 2008 and that, consequently, any justice achieved at the end of the day is unlikely to be complete. Regardless of the outcome of the trial, Kenyans can rest assured that the trial will force them to come to terms with the underbelly of Kenyan political culture.
This brings us back to the Daily Nation’s Facebook fan page, where various Kenyan critics and supporters of the four men have expressed their respective elation and anger at the ruling. In response to the inciting language used by some, the moderator of the page has seen fit to reiterate the guidelines for posting on the page. Some of the guidelines entail basic internet courtesy. They ask fans to be courteous, to avoid posting in ALL CAPS and to refrain from personal attacks against each other. Others are targeted at more serious forms of offensive speech. Defamation, hate speech, sexism, tribalism and racism in posts are forbidden.
The guidelines outlined thus far sound reasonable. However, the third guideline, concerning the use of language, is curious. It states, “Since participants in the forums are from mixed backgrounds, English shall be the primary language of conversation. Some widely "accepted" slang and pidgin - Sheng -might also be permitted.” This is a curious statement for two primary reasons. One is the fact that Swahili, Kenya’s national language is completely dismissed in a forum predominantly frequented by Kenyan speakers of Swahili. The second is the fact that Kenya’s other indigenous languages are dismissed with a simple flourish. The latter can be justified as a temporary measure to keep the discussion open and minimally-polarized but there is no legitimate reason to disallow the use of Swahili on the forum.
Considering that the Nation Media Group publishes Taifa Leo, the national Swahili-language newspaper, and makes regular media broadcasts in eloquent Swahili, disallowing the use of Swahili on the Facebook page makes absolutely no sense. I am not even going to pretend to understand the reasoning behind it. I hope that when the number of people complaining about that ‘oversight’ reaches critical mass, the moderator of the page will correct it. I will, however, spend some time discussing the connection between the guideline and Kenyans’ conflicted relationships with their indigenous languages. While Swahili is an indigenous language, it is also the national language of Kenya, more widely spoken than English and understood by most Kenyans. Thus some of my statements about indigenous languages below may not apply to Swahili.
For the record, I don’t think that banning the use of Kenya’s indigenous languages in ‘Kenyan’ virtual space will neutralize the hateful sentiments felt by many Kenyans about their fellow Kenyans. Any person determined to post in hateful language will do so, even in English or Sheng’. However, I understand the reasons behind this decision on the part of the moderator of this Facebook page.
Some Kenyans resort to the use of their indigenous languages when they want to express hateful sentiments about other ethnic groups. The indigenous language has become, for them, a code to unite ‘insiders’ and to mark them as unique and different from the hated ‘outsiders.’They post divisive and inciting statements in their respective languages, often using objectifying code words to refer to the ‘other.’ Interestingly, the average person that does this seems to be of the opinion that speaking in his or her indigenous language offers protection from public scrutiny. The person erroneously believes that members of other ethnic groups will not understand these statements and that all members of his or her ethnic group will sympathize with them.
People who have been following the ICC hearings will point out that media broadcasts and speeches by public personalities in indigenous languages were characterized by the same problems and ultimately played a significant role in fracturing Kenyan society and inciting the different sides to violence in 2007-2008. Others will point out that various Kenyan discussion boards and blogs allowed the same kind of unmoderated hate speech in indigenous languages, and consequently made the situation worse. It is this history of the misuse of Kenya’s indigenous languages that makes any Kenyan entity that maintains an interactive forum online or in the mass media wary about allowing indigenous language contributions. It is not surprising that some of them would opt to completely do away with Kenyan indigenous languages and the logistical complications of trying to moderate comments in these languages.
Kenyan indigenous languages have clearly earned a terrible reputation, particularly in recent years. But is this reputation fair? Are these languages primarily the vehicles for the expression of hatred? Of course the reputation is unfair. Indigenous languages are not primarily used to express hatred and create divisiveness. Indigenous languages are vehicles for the expression of every aspect of culture- the good, the bad and the ugly. So is English, and so is Sheng’. In fact, many Kenyans who spend time online will attest that tribalism, racism and other forms of hatred are predominantly articulated in English on Kenyan forums.
Hatred is not brought into being by indigenous languages. In reality, many Kenyans live in cosmopolitan communities and are, consequently, multilingual. They worship together, go to school together, do business together, often intermarry and learn each other’s languages. So Kenya’s indigenous languages are the collective heritage of the Kenyan people. Banning the use of these languages in cosmopolitan forums is not a long-term solution for anything.
That said I cannot blame the NMG for trying to keep things simple on their Facebook page. Disallowing the use of Kenya’s indigenous languages is probably a wise move in the short term: it will make the page relatively easy to moderate in a time of heightened sensitivities. However, they will eventually have to come up with a sustainable approach to moderating comments that does not involve the censorship of entire languages.
This work is licensed to R. Kahendi under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License.
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| January 23, 2012 | 7:05 PM |
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Teaching through humiliation: Tough love or cruelty?
About this category: Media
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Today a popular East African radio show host received a message from one of her fans, an aspiring writer who was seeking advice about how to get published. The young writer made the mistake of sending the radio show host a message ridden with grammatical errors and typos. How did the radio show host respond? She posted the young writer’s message, complete with her name, age and alma mater on her Facebook wall, with a statement to the effect that nobody would take a self-proclaimed writer seriously if she couldn’t be bothered to write her message properly.
The radio show host had a point about the importance of such details as grammar and spelling in letters of inquiry about jobs and about opportunities for publication. Hiring managers routinely disqualify candidates who send them documents that are full of errors. In their experience, people who don’t pay attention to detail in their formal communication are bound to carry the same casual attitude into the job. This is especially the case in the writing professions, where the correct use of language is necessary for clear communication. It is important for those in the know to convey this information to aspiring professionals as they would otherwise continually sabotage their efforts to find decent jobs and opportunities.
The radio show host was likely thinking along these lines when she set out to show her fan “tough love” on her page. However, she went overboard. Her attempt to shame her fan ended up overshadowing any lessons she might have imparted and probably earned her a huge chunk of ill will.
Now, it is not the role of an entertainer to teach her fans the finer points of English grammar or to connect them to professional opportunities. So the radio show host would have been entirely within her rights to ignore her fan’s letter. However, she did choose to respond, and she did so in her professional capacity. So she should have taken the time to do it properly: she should have sent a private response to her fan, answering her question, and pointing out the flaws in her approach. Then, if she felt inclined to turn it into a teachable moment for her other fans, she should have written a note on the subject without singling out the fan and sharing the specific contents of her letter.
Radio entertainers may not view themselves as journalists, but they do have a public platform, and the capacity to reach and affect hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of listeners with their words. Their profession brings with it great responsibility. More so if they take it upon themselves to inform or educate their fans on matters that fall outside their immediate purview. Belittling their fans for lacking sophistication in professional etiquette is unprofessional. It is also a wasted opportunity to make a meaningful difference.
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| December 20, 2011 | 6:53 PM |
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Teaching through humiliation: Tough love or cruelty?
About this category: Media
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Today a popular East African radio show host received a message from one of her fans, an aspiring writer who was seeking advice about how to get published. The young writer made the mistake of sending the radio show host a message ridden with grammatical errors and typos. How did the radio show host respond? She posted the young writer’s message, complete with her name, age and alma mater on her Facebook wall, with a statement to the effect that nobody would take a self-proclaimed writer seriously if she couldn’t be bothered to write her message properly.
The radio show host had a point about the importance of such details as grammar and spelling in letters of inquiry about jobs and about opportunities for publication. Hiring managers routinely disqualify candidates who send them documents that are full of errors. In their experience, people who don’t pay attention to detail in their formal communication are bound to carry the same casual attitude into the job. This is especially the case in the writing professions, where the correct use of language is necessary for clear communication. It is important for those in the know to convey this information to aspiring professionals as they would otherwise continually sabotage their efforts to find decent jobs and opportunities.
The radio show host was likely thinking along these lines when she set out to show her fan “tough love” on her page. However, she went overboard. Her attempt to shame her fan ended up overshadowing any lessons she might have imparted and probably earned her a huge chunk of ill will.
Now, it is not the role of an entertainer to teach her fans the finer points of English grammar or to connect them to professional opportunities. So the radio show host would have been entirely within her rights to ignore her fan’s letter. However, she did choose to respond, and she did so in her professional capacity. So she should have taken the time to do it properly: she should have sent a private response to her fan, answering her question, and pointing out the flaws in her approach. Then, if she felt inclined to turn it into a teachable moment for her other fans, she should have written a note on the subject without singling out the fan and sharing the specific contents of her letter.
Radio entertainers may not view themselves as journalists, but they do have a public platform, and the capacity to reach and affect hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of listeners with their words. Their profession brings with it great responsibility. More so if they take it upon themselves to inform or educate their fans on matters that fall outside their immediate purview. Belittling their fans for lacking sophistication in professional etiquette is unprofessional. It is also a wasted opportunity to make a meaningful difference.
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| December 20, 2011 | 6:53 PM |
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Teaching through humiliation: Tough love or cruelty?
About this category: Media
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Today a popular East African radio show host received a message from one of her fans, an aspiring writer who was seeking advice about how to get published. The young writer made the mistake of sending the radio show host a message ridden with grammatical errors and typos. How did the radio show host respond? She posted the young writer’s message, complete with her name, age and alma mater on her Facebook wall, with a statement to the effect that nobody would take a self-proclaimed writer seriously if she couldn’t be bothered to write her message properly.
The radio show host had a point about the importance of such details as grammar and spelling in letters of inquiry about jobs and about opportunities for publication. Hiring managers routinely disqualify candidates who send them documents that are full of errors. In their experience, people who don’t pay attention to detail in their formal communication are bound to carry the same casual attitude into the job. This is especially the case in the writing professions, where the correct use of language is necessary for clear communication. It is important for those in the know to convey this information to aspiring professionals as they would otherwise continually sabotage their efforts to find decent jobs and opportunities.
The radio show host was likely thinking along these lines when she set out to show her fan “tough love” on her page. However, she went overboard. Her attempt to shame her fan ended up overshadowing any lessons she might have imparted and probably earned her a huge chunk of ill will.
Now, it is not the role of an entertainer to teach her fans the finer points of English grammar or to connect them to professional opportunities. So the radio show host would have been entirely within her rights to ignore her fan’s letter. However, she did choose to respond, and she did so in her professional capacity. So she should have taken the time to do it properly: she should have sent a private response to her fan, answering her question, and pointing out the flaws in her approach. Then, if she felt inclined to turn it into a teachable moment for her other fans, she should have written a note on the subject without singling out the fan and sharing the specific contents of her letter.
Radio entertainers may not view themselves as journalists, but they do have a public platform, and the capacity to reach and affect hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of listeners with their words. Their profession brings with it great responsibility. More so if they take it upon themselves to inform or educate their fans on matters that fall outside their immediate purview. Belittling their fans for lacking sophistication in professional etiquette is unprofessional. It is also a wasted opportunity to make a meaningful difference.
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| December 20, 2011 | 6:53 PM |
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Meeting Royalty in Canada: Will, Kate – and Tom
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 Ottawa, Canada I was tired, it was very hot outside, and soon to be my birthday … the last thing I wanted (despite my usual eagerness to travel) was an invite for a long bus ride to see the Royal Couple, Kate and Will, in Ottawa (a place I’d never been to before). I never was one to suffer much for royalty, but my daughter (far more princess-like than her mother) really, really, wanted to go! I could not possibly say no to her wish.
To my further surprise, my daughter next informed me Charles De Lint lived there, a creative writer of urban fantasy she herself introduced me to (not in person, of course). Chances were nill I’d meet him there (which proved true), but the hope was a big bonus.
After a night bus ride we arrived in a super-sun-drenched city (I had packed my entire suit case for colder Canadian weather). I was impressed with the elegantly old and wondrously English parliament buildings resembling small castles. One building has two gargoyles on top. There’s a two-spired church, steeples glistening like huge upside down icicles, along with a giant spider sculpture uncommonly beautiful. Nearby is a small waterfall where one can see Quebec across the river.
300,000 visitors filled the streets the next day, almost doubling the population. The searing sun seemed to melt everyone and everything down into one bronzed entity. Light glittered off the buildings and on the lawn where we all stood … waiting, waiting, waiting … sweating and hot. Bells kept chiming out the hours.
What we don’t do for our kids …
Feeling innovative, I gathered my scarf around my hat so it resembled a burqa-like tent flowing around me, a protection against the solar glare. I stood out in the crowd, invisible as I was, and very soon, other people (even men) had spare clothing wrapped around their heads draping down their backs and shoulders. We all were Arabian that day, with new understanding and deep appreciation for their traditional clothing.
Then came the time. Suddenly, the roar of cannon fire … again and again, while big jets zoomed low overhead (reminding me instantly of a plane that crashed right into the audience at an airshow years ago).
The sound of bagpipes floated on the still, simmering air followed by an entourage of decorated police and black, armored motor cars. Elegant troops of horses came, manes and tails bouncing, naturally royal. They proudly pulled dainty carriages. Somebody noticed snipers (dressed in apropos black) standing on nearby roofs which gave everything an eerie overcast.
All this glorious pomp and glory, though, could not possibly compete with the first memory I had of that city. I was on a jostling public bus going toward the hotel in the morning. There, on the sidewalk racing alongside the street, I thought I saw someone I knew. Except that person died fourteen months ago. Nevertheless, there he was again, for one split second:
A First Nation Indian fellow about my age had materialized within the frame of the dusty bus window. He had lovely copper skin which stood out immediately from the swirling blur of people. I’m not sure anyone else on that bus even saw him – perhaps he was invisible to everyone but me. Slender, with high cheekbones and an earring, he was roaring down the street – in a wheelchair! His long hair was flowing like blown black feathers while his strong hands turned the big wheels of his chair. Oddly, he seemed to have the stick of a candied sucker poking out the side of his lips – that’s when I thought for sure it must indeed be the man I knew, who would have done all those same things.
“Look!” I caught my daughter’s attention (this all happened in a flash). “Do you see that handsome Native in that wheelchair over there? He’s Tom Soto’s doubleganger, like his angel!”
She looked, but already he was gone. Disappeared, as if he’d easily slipped right back into heaven. My daughter shook her head, disappointed she missed the Canadian version of our beloved friend (an Aztec Indian) of thirteen years. The bus drove hastily on while the outdoor crowds changed our view like a turning of the Kaleidoscope.
“Why, I could swear it was Tom!” I told her.
Smiling, my girl wisely replied, “Well, Mom, remember this is “De Lint-ville,” it’s enchanted. Here anything is possible! Maybe he really was Tom.”
Yes, I think so - kind of - it was love, and Tom’s memory. I would never have noticed that stranger in such a crowd without my huge love for him. Tom made his reappearance that day through my memory.
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The Power of Nonviolence
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Check MPT’s Newsletter Blog!
http://michiganpeaceteamnewsletters.blogspot.com/
Just click the blogspot Link, then select the MPT 2011 Spring Newsletter. It was posted on June 30,2011- a bit late for Spring but well worth checking out!
Also, thank you so much for whatever you can do to help distribute the MPT 2011 Spring newsletter …
Your MPT Newsletter Working Group: Nancy Ayotte, Paula Marie Deubel, Barbara Nolin, Kim Redigan, Annette Thomas, Liz Walters
In this newsletter we lift up the power of nonviolence and celebrate the
growing number of nonviolent movements around the planet that are seeking social
change. At the same time we acknowledge that Earth Community is facing some of
the most serious economic, social, and political problems imaginable. As people
increasingly experience their lives being stressed by violence, unemployment,
eviction, debt, and malnutrition, our responsibility to help them understand the
power of nonviolence and the possibilities of nonviolent action becomes ever
more important.
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A response to the article “Kiswahili Tech Projects are falling apart, why?”
Related to country: Kenya
About this category: Media
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I have enjoyed reading Kachwanya’s 2009 article, “Kiswahili Tech Projects are falling apart, why?” because I think it addresses an important subject. The article makes it evident that there are different levels of language use and that, while a given population may find it natural to speak in one language, the same population might prefer to use technology or engage in professional writing/ speech in a completely different language. As contradictory as such a situation might seem, it reflects the linguistic complexity of our everyday experiences. I must mention that the article does have one significant shortfall. In my opinion, an article that makes claims this strong about Kiswahili technology projects should be based on more than the writer’s personal experience. Frankly, I was expecting the writer to have interviewed a wide range of people outside his/ her immediate circle and to have actual data from Facebook, Microsoft and others about the long-term success of their Kiswahili projects.
Having read the article, I’m interested in understanding, first of all, whether the alleged unpopularity of the Kiswahili versions of Facebook, Microsoft Office etc. among Kenyans constitutes a problem. I personally think that it is not a crisis. I imagine the popularity and accessibility of these forms will increase over time. Let’s give the average user of technology time to get used to the features of the Kiswahili version of Facebook. Let’s also give the translators time to expand and stabilize the Kiswahili lexicon as they adapt various words for use in technological contexts. These are processes that take time and they will (hopefully) catch on.
I also think that there is a significant difference between the use of language in everyday conversational contexts and the use of the same language in technical contexts. I would be more concerned if the average Kenyan was unable to use Kiswahili in the former context than in the latter one. It is a bit premature to sound the alarm bells over the latter. Kenya is not Tanzania. The two nations have adopted English and Swahili in different ways for different reasons. So one cannot properly compare the two without examining why they adopted their specific language policies and why they continue to reinforce those policies. Tanzania’s language policy may have done wonders for Tanzanian nationalism and for the development of Kiswahili as a regional lingua franca, but there are also associated negative implications for the average Tanzanian when it comes to transitioning from the use of Kiswahili at the lower levels of education to the use of English at the higher levels. There are also implications for international trade.
When the writer discusses his/ her inability to understand Dr. Naomi Shaban’s contributions to a parliamentary debate without consulting a dictionary, he/ she illustrates his/ her own inability to understand the language well when the speaker employs specialized vocabulary. That is only natural. I admit to not understanding half of what goes on in the US Congress even though I speak English pretty well. So, like I said before, the writer’s dilemma is not a crisis. I imagine that if he/ she wants to address that issue, he/ she is already on the right track: reading and listening to technical Kiswahili and consulting a dictionary when confused will help significantly. That is part of the learning process and it is commendable too.
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A Need to Review Kiswahili Exams?
About this category: Education
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Top scholars want Kiswahili tests reviewed
By MAZERA NDURYA mndurya@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Thursday, May 19 2011 at 22:00
Leading scholars have called for the review of Kiswahili examinations to allow for the use of all dialects instead of the standard Kiswahili.
They said the impression created from the results of national examinations, especially the poor performance of candidates from the Coast, was misleading as it was not a yardstick for mastery of the language.
Speaking during a workshop to review performance in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams, Kiswahili consultant Ahmed Sheikh Nabhany said the Education ministry had failed by only using one dialect to examine students.
The problem started with the colonial government sidelining all other dialects and settling for “Kiunguja” (from Zanzibar) as standard Kiswahili, Prof Nabhany told the forum organised by the Research Institute of Swahili Studies of Eastern Africa (Rissea).
“Kiswahili has about 15 dialects. The government should allow for the examining of students based on what they use as Kiswahili instead of the current system that threatens the existence of other dialects.”
Prof Nabhany said that most candidates failed because the words that they us are not recognised by the examiners.
Rissea acting director Kassim Omar said the language can only grow if more research is done so that terms and words from all the dialects can be used in teaching the language.
He said the workshop was part of the campaign to help change the perceptions that people have about Kiswahili, adding that recommendations would be presented to the government.
But the head of quality assurance and standards in Coast Province, Ms Susan Wanjohi, blamed the poor performance on people’s negative attitude, saying, it was the assumption that examinations will be easy for people who speak the language fluently.
She said schools from upcountry had been posting better results in Kiswahili because they take it as seriously as other subjects.
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A Need to Review Kiswahili Exams?
About this category: Education
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Top scholars want Kiswahili tests reviewed
By MAZERA NDURYA mndurya@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Thursday, May 19 2011 at 22:00
Leading scholars have called for the review of Kiswahili examinations to allow for the use of all dialects instead of the standard Kiswahili.
They said the impression created from the results of national examinations, especially the poor performance of candidates from the Coast, was misleading as it was not a yardstick for mastery of the language.
Speaking during a workshop to review performance in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams, Kiswahili consultant Ahmed Sheikh Nabhany said the Education ministry had failed by only using one dialect to examine students.
The problem started with the colonial government sidelining all other dialects and settling for “Kiunguja” (from Zanzibar) as standard Kiswahili, Prof Nabhany told the forum organised by the Research Institute of Swahili Studies of Eastern Africa (Rissea).
“Kiswahili has about 15 dialects. The government should allow for the examining of students based on what they use as Kiswahili instead of the current system that threatens the existence of other dialects.”
Prof Nabhany said that most candidates failed because the words that they us are not recognised by the examiners.
Rissea acting director Kassim Omar said the language can only grow if more research is done so that terms and words from all the dialects can be used in teaching the language.
He said the workshop was part of the campaign to help change the perceptions that people have about Kiswahili, adding that recommendations would be presented to the government.
But the head of quality assurance and standards in Coast Province, Ms Susan Wanjohi, blamed the poor performance on people’s negative attitude, saying, it was the assumption that examinations will be easy for people who speak the language fluently.
She said schools from upcountry had been posting better results in Kiswahili because they take it as seriously as other subjects.
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Enock Matundura on what ails Kiswahili Literature
Related to country: Kenya
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http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/lifestyle/-/1214/1178870/-/10c4tjjz/-/index.html
Kenya: What Ails Kiswahili Literature?
Enock Matundura
11 June 2011
Nairobi — Literature critics can observe the development of Kiswahili literature using three main approaches: one is by categorising when writers wrote their works; two, by looking at the quality of works being churned out; and lastly, by analysing the paradigm shift by some writers whose works no longer conform to the realism mode of writing.
By using the first approach, one can classify Swahili writers into generations. Thus, we have the Fumo Liyongo and Muyaka Bin Hajji al Ghassanniy generation that wrote Swahili poetry before the 20th century.
There is also the Shabaan Robert generation that wrote some prose works, the generation of Said Mohamed Abdulla - who is generally regarded as the father of the investigative Swahili novel. After Said Mohamed, writers like Said Ahmed Mohamed and his contemporaries such as Shafi Adam Shafi, Euphrase Kezilahabi and
Ebrahim Hussein came to the fore.
Generation
The early 1970s and late 1980s generation includes names such as the late Prof Jay Mashanga Kitsao, Zainab Burhani, Rukiya Himid, Chacha Nyaigotti Chacha, Kimani Njogu, Alamin Mazrui and Rocha Mzungu Chimerah.
In the late 1990s, writers such as Prof Kyallo Mitila, Kitula King'ei, Kithaka wa Mberia, Ken Walibora, Clara Momanyi, Prof John Hamu Habwe, Rayya Timammy and Mwenda Mbatiah made their mark.
In the 2000s, we have Timothy Arege, John Kobia, Ali Hassan Njama, Bitugi Matundura, Omar Babu and Rebecca Nandwa, among others.
The second approach is that of analysing the quality of Swahili literary works being published today. There seems to be an upsurge of Swahili writers - mostly from academia whose capability of writing a good creative work is questionable.
Innate gift
Literature, like any form of art, requires some sort of innate gift. There is a big misconception among Swahili scholars in our public and private universities that to be recognised, one has to write a creative work - even at
the expense of academic papers.
This has contributed to every Tom Dick and Harry rushing into creative writing even when it is obvious that not everybody has the talent to. As a result, Kiswahili literature is now crowded with the so-called short-distance writers whose works may not necessarily contribute to the growth of Kiswahili literature.
In such a scenario, publishers and editors in the publishing industry ought to be blamed for publishing manuscripts without evaluating them critically to establish if it adds any value to the growth of Kiswahili literature. And as a
result of every Swahili scholar forcing his or her way into creative writing, very little critiquing of published works is being done, affecting the quality of Kiswahili literature.
The third and last approach is that of looking at the way some Swahili creative writers have intentionally divorced themselves from writing novels and even short stories conforming to the formalist way of writing.
For instance, when one reads works such as Babu Alipofufuka, Dunia Yao and even Nyuso za Mwanamke all by Said Ahmed Mohamed, one can easily notice the paradigm shift we are talking about.
Other Swahili novelists who have shifted gear into another level of writing are Prof Kyallo wa Mitila of Kenya, and Euphrase Kezilahabi and William Eliezer Mkuya; both from Tanzania.
Enock Matundura, author of Mkasa wa Shujaa Liyongo, teaches Swahili literature at Chuka University College
Source: Daily Nation, Kenya
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Proposed University a Potential Threat to World Heritage Site?
Related to country: Kenya
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http://www.the-star.co.ke/local/coast/28631-museums-body-against-coast-university-plans
Museums body against Coast university plans
Monday, 20 June 2011 00:06 BY MAUREEN MUDI
Sharp divisions have emerged over the planned establishment of a university near a World Heritage site in Coast province. The university is to be established near Kaya Fungo, which is a World Heritage site. It is feared that some local leaders may have been ‘compromised’ to accept the project, which according to Heritage experts, may affect the values and setting of the site.
The official said the scale and type of development would have a disastrous effect on the Kaya rural setting and its environs and will affect its status. He added, “Besides, there is plenty of land available in the general Mariakani area including the one adjacent to the Mariakani/Kaloleni road, which is currently being tarmacked,” Githitho said NMK should move swiftly to discourage the university from the idea using formal and informal means to set up the campus.
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Guardian Article on tackling "Kiswahili Corruption"
Related to country: Tanzania
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http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=29579
Kiswahili `corruption` has to be tackled with full zeal
By Editor
29th May 2011
That culture is the soul of the nation, and that Kiswahili is one of its major components, is an expression that one can make, not as a discovery, but a reminder of an obvious fact. It is obvious, however, that, for that fact to be
kept alive and to consolidate it, the message has to be constantly hammered home.
One of Kiswahili's major aspects is the national language status. Beyond the domestic front, it has enabled Tanzania to curve for itself, the niche of being its biggest promoter, and prompting many countries within and beyond the African continent to embrace it.
Whenever something does, or seems to be going wrong Kiswahili-wise, voices of caution or protest emerge. A couple of years ago, for instance, some patriots wondered why, at State Banquets, visiting Heads of State from the middle and far eastern countries delivered their speeches in their respective languages, while ours did so in English.
The point was noted, and Kiswahili became the operative language on those, and other important functions, printed copies of English versions being distributed to foreign guests.
Earlier ground had been broken by replacing English with Kiswahili in Parliament, and most refreshingly so, since it would have been absurd for MPs to continue conducting business in a language that a very negligible fraction of
the wananchi they represented were conversant with.
Advocacy for enhanced application of Kiswahili as a communication tool in institutions of learning and court sessions is gathering tempo. In the wake of the Kiswahili promotion zeal, however, English was somewhat
undermined, to the extent that, its grasp by quite many students even at institutions of higher learning, was weak.
A judicious balance (at least theoretically) has since been struck, by giving both languages due importance in the areas where each is most relevant; in English's case, acknowledgement being invoked, over the fact that as part of the East African regional set up, and the global family farther afield, it would be suicidal to undermine or ignore it.
It is worrisome, however, that, by and large, both willfully and inadvertently, Kiswahili is being undermined in ways that render hollow, the much-orchestrated notion that it is a national language and a major component of the nation's cultural soul.
In `Bunge' sessions, aspects of `Kiswakinge' or `Kiswanglish', a cynical hybrid of both languages, is very much manifest. Elsewhere, too, the trend is similar, but more worrisome is the virtual corruption of the national language. While language growth is unavoidable and indeed healthy, not all the new words and expressions that keep popping up are sincerely geared towards that end. Quite many are distortions, some border on the vulgar, and yet we embrace them.
Much headway is made by efforts to check the trend or straighten matters up through clarifications over inadvertent errors, through, say, newspaper columns and panel discussions.
Some newspapers are actually culprits on Kiswahili `murder', as are some musicians whose lyrics publicise what is verily `Kiswahili slang' that belongs essentially to outdoor assembly points for idlers, as well as gossiping centres
in residential neighbourhoods, but subsequently sucks in the wider community and is informally granted legitimacy.
Relative discipline obtains in education institutions where syllabi has to be adhered to, but the impact is diluted because ultimately, students are part of, or end up as part of the broader community that is held captive to corrupted Kiswahili.
Put bluntly, Kiswahili corruption is a crisis which we have to tackle as seriously as we are tackling, or are supposed to tackle crises of other types.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
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