Prof Walusimbi disappoints on Kiswahili
Dec 17, 2004
SIR— I wish to respond to an article “Kiswahili is a poor choice for Uganda,†by Prof Livingstone Walusimbi.
SIR— I wish to respond to an article “Kiswahili is a poor choice for Uganda,†by Prof Livingstone Walusimbi.
I am astonished and disappointed that a person who seems to be learned and a member of the UNESCO Advisory Committee for Linguistic Pluralism and Multilingual Education should hold such a view.
What is most shocking is that Walusimbi seems to have no clue about Kiswahili. It reminds me of a saying which people like him show to be true: “Kiswahili was born in Zanzibar, brought up in Tanganyika, killed in Kenya and buried in Uganda.â€
I agree that Kiswahili is not indigenous to Uganda. But he must remember that it is indigenous to the Coast of East Africa. It is a language created by the people of East Africa.
For a long time our own professors and linguists made the language so rich that today it is richer than any tribal language in East Africa. It may not have a national culture, but it is a common language to all, regardless of one’s tribe, creed, colour, etc. We should also recall that Kiswahili was adopted by the Swahili peoples of the Coast. President Nyerere did not make a mistake. He never said that people should forget their mother tongues and adopt Kiswahili.
No, he just made sure all spoke one language so that the different tribes and cultures would come together. Prof Walusimbi should go to Tanzania and see for himself how close the people there are because of the language, and at the same time how rich they are in their own cultures and traditions.
Take, for example, a Maasai in Tanzania. He wears a shirt and trousers, speaks Kiswahili but lives with his own customs and traditions and still speaks Maasai. This goes for all the other different tribes in Tanzania. Who said Kiswahili was a language of wrongdoers
Where did Walusimbi get this idea from? I am sure it was the colonial master who did not want the local people to speak the language as he wanted them to learn his own — English, French or Portuguese, and take his name like ‘Livingstone’, which surely is not a Christian name.
The problem is Somalia, Rwanda and Burundi has nothing to do with the language. It is the new breed of rulers who are greedy for power and wealth. Just look at USA, where people have come from every corner of the world, with different cultures, customs, traditions and religions and they keep these with them – there is no American culture but all are one and speak one language. Is Uganda better off than USA?
Col (Rtd) A. Rashid Khan Kampala
I am astonished and disappointed that a person who seems to be learned and a member of the UNESCO Advisory Committee for Linguistic Pluralism and Multilingual Education should hold such a view.
What is most shocking is that Walusimbi seems to have no clue about Kiswahili. It reminds me of a saying which people like him show to be true: “Kiswahili was born in Zanzibar, brought up in Tanganyika, killed in Kenya and buried in Uganda.â€
I agree that Kiswahili is not indigenous to Uganda. But he must remember that it is indigenous to the Coast of East Africa. It is a language created by the people of East Africa.
For a long time our own professors and linguists made the language so rich that today it is richer than any tribal language in East Africa. It may not have a national culture, but it is a common language to all, regardless of one’s tribe, creed, colour, etc. We should also recall that Kiswahili was adopted by the Swahili peoples of the Coast. President Nyerere did not make a mistake. He never said that people should forget their mother tongues and adopt Kiswahili.
No, he just made sure all spoke one language so that the different tribes and cultures would come together. Prof Walusimbi should go to Tanzania and see for himself how close the people there are because of the language, and at the same time how rich they are in their own cultures and traditions.
Take, for example, a Maasai in Tanzania. He wears a shirt and trousers, speaks Kiswahili but lives with his own customs and traditions and still speaks Maasai. This goes for all the other different tribes in Tanzania. Who said Kiswahili was a language of wrongdoers
Where did Walusimbi get this idea from? I am sure it was the colonial master who did not want the local people to speak the language as he wanted them to learn his own — English, French or Portuguese, and take his name like ‘Livingstone’, which surely is not a Christian name.
The problem is Somalia, Rwanda and Burundi has nothing to do with the language. It is the new breed of rulers who are greedy for power and wealth. Just look at USA, where people have come from every corner of the world, with different cultures, customs, traditions and religions and they keep these with them – there is no American culture but all are one and speak one language. Is Uganda better off than USA?
Col (Rtd) A. Rashid Khan Kampala