He has come this far because of Luganda

Nov 15, 2004

IF you ask any first year student at Makerere University whether the course they are offering was their first choice, chances are the majority will say, ‘No’

By Denis Ocwich

IF you ask any first year student at Makerere University whether the course they are offering was their first choice, chances are the majority will say, ‘No’.
Many of the students admitted for flat courses like Bachelor of Arts (BA) or BA Social Sciences often whine about “unpalatable” courses.

But those who persevere and excel, in some cases, end up getting good jobs after the course.
Dr Fred Masagazi Masaazi is one such example.

When he was admitted for a BA with Luganda, Linguistics and English Language Studies, Masaazi was reluctant to take up the course. His choice had been Bachelor of Laws (LLB).
“At first I did not want to do the course because I thought I would get nothing out of Luganda,” recalls 39-year-old senior lecturer.
Looking back 18 years since he was admitted to Makerere, Masaazi’s attitude towards majoring in a local language has changed from contempt to admiration, thanks to his mentors; Dr Kasalina Matovu (RIP), Rhoda Nsibambi (RIP) and Prof. Livingstone Walusimbi, who persuaded him to give it a try.

After his bachelor’s degree, he enrolled for a post-graduate diploma in Education, and later for a Master’s degree.

Last month (October), Masaazi became the first person to graduate with a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Luganda.
His PhD thesis was: “Prospects and challenges of improving the teaching of Luganda through an integrated functional approach”.
“I now have a strong foundation in analysing linguistics and Luganda,” he explains at his office at Makerere’s School of Education. “I was challenged to do a PhD by my wife Marion, who already had two Master’s degrees while I had only one.”

As the acting head of the Department of Language Education, Masaazi is now one of the architects of various programmes geared at promoting Luganda as a vital mother tongue.
He is also the president of the Luganda Teachers Association and has taught in various secondary schools, including Mengo SS and Trinity College, Nabbingo.
“There were very few teachers of Luganda (in late 1980s). At the end of my first year at Makerere, they called me to teach at Nabbingo,” he recalls. “I got a lot of money from teaching and that motivated me to pursue Luganda.”
With many schools now teaching Luganda, Masaazi believes the future is promising.

“I am happy there is a positive trend in the teaching of indigenous languages,” he says. He is all praises for Makerere University Institute of Languages for starting the departments of Runyakitara and Lwo, among others.

“My department is teaching Luganda and Kiswahili as important African languages.”
So what does he think of gazetting Luganda as a national language, a proposal which has dragged on for long?

“I feel very comfortable with it, after all Luganda has all the attributes of a national language and shares a lot of words with other local languages.”
In his view, Luganda can be a national language alongside Kiswahili, while English remains the official language. “Having an official language does not stop us from having a national language. Some countries have more than three national languages,” he says.

He, however, adds that although Luganda is spoken and understood by about 80 percent of Ugandans, emphasis should not be put on it alone, but on other indigenous languages as well.
“Why shouldn’t I learn Alur? Why shouldn’t I learn Ngakarimojong so that when I go to Karamoja I can easily speak with the local people?” Masaazi asks.

He says although the National Language Policy stresses improvement in the teaching of local languages, there has not been much headway because of the absence of structures.
“First, there should be district language boards and a National Council for Languages, which are not in place,” he says.

Masaazi is also at the helm of education-related activities in the Mengo government.
He is currently the chairman of the Buganda Education Commission, the body that oversees education projects in Buganda Kingdom. One such a project is the Kabaka Education Fund which educates needy but bright students at different levels.

“We are doing a lot in the kingdom to promote Luganda,” he says.
Kabaka Mutebi at one time awarded Masaazi a certificate for being one of the first two scholars to attain a Master’s degree in Luganda in 1995.

Masaazi, the father of five is the fifth born to Maliselina Nalukenge and Henry Kasozi (RIP) of Mitala Maria on Kampala — Masaka Road. He went to St Aloysious Primary School, Old Kampala SS, Kampala Tutorial College and Kampala High School.

“As you can see, I can’t leave this trap now. Every-where I am Luganda,” Masaazi says smiling. With what he calls “a positive trend in teaching indigenous languages” Masaazi can count himself lucky for being the man behind conservation, preservation and modernisation of his mother tongue.

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