Africa-Press – Namibia. After almost three decades of independence, you would expect Namibian local languages to have cemented themselves in our academic spaces.
Yet the reality is quite the opposite.
After English became the official language, the visibility of our own languages in education and research remained underrepresented.
I often ask myself how we arrived at a point where we embraced English for the sake of national “neutrality” yet struggle to give our indigenous languages the same opportunity to grow, develop and be intellectualised.
Why is it easier for many Namibians to learn foreign languages such as German, French or Portuguese at the University of Namibia, but not Otjiherero, Oshiwambo or Khoekhoegowab?
Is this reluctance to develop formal teaching material for our local languages rooted in tribal politics, or have we convinced ourselves that our languages are simply not good enough for academia?
SILENCE IS COSTLY
Just across our border, South Africa demonstrates what is possible when local languages are valued.
The University of KwaZulu-Natal allows students to write and publish theses in isiZulu, and government departments routinely publish official documents in multiple languages.
In Namibia, however, linguistic diversity in official communication is confined to news broadcasts on radio and television, hospital posters, voter education material and the occasional pamphlet. Beyond that, silence.
This silence comes at a cost.
Our languages carry rich morphological and syntactical systems, unique idioms, cultural knowledge, and so much more.
Yet we hardly explore these dimensions in academic or literary spaces.
Published literature in our local languages is so limited that one might argue it is almost non-existent.
When a language is sidelined, so too is the knowledge and worldview it holds.
Communities lose opportunities for self-expression and empowerment, not because the languages lack potential, but because we have not invested in their intellectual growth.
It is worth noting that there are non-English-speaking countries, like Japan or China, that have built entire education systems around their indigenous languages.
Academic terminology did not initially exist in these languages as well, but their regular usage allowed for the necessary terminology to be developed.
This method can also be applied to African languages when they are given enough room to grow.
WRONG CRITERIA
One of the most unfortunate outcomes is the stigma that has developed around Namibians speaking imperfect English or those who do not speak English at all.
It has become common to judge someone’s intelligence based on fluency in a language that is not their mother tongue.
Meanwhile, the same person will articulate complex ideas beautifully in their own vernacular, but we rarely create space for that level of expression.
If Namibia is really committed to One Namibia, One Nation, we cannot continue to treat our local languages as secondary.
We need intentional policies that promote and expand local literature and the normalisation of academic writing in indigenous languages.
Our languages are neither primitive nor incapable of thriving in academia.
They should be allowed to grow alongside English, not beneath it.
– Sylvia Nangombe is a German and English teacher.
In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch.
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