Day Of African Child| A Call for Linguistic Equity

By Newton Mambande

HARARE – EVERY year on June 16, the Day of the African Child (DAC) commemorates the 1976 Soweto Uprising, when Black South African children were killed by apartheid police while protesting for better education and the right to be taught in their native languages, particularly isiZulu. Historians recognize this event as a pivotal moment in Africa’s liberation history.

In post-apartheid South Africa, DAC became a public holiday honoring these children’s sacrifice and courage. They left an enduring legacy that continues to inspire current and future generations. The Soweto uprising specifically protested against inferior Bantu education and demanded mother-tongue instruction.

Despite facing brutal police violence, South Africa’s youth persisted in resisting apartheid. The 1980s saw the formation of Sarafina, a Zulu-speaking theater group that staged peaceful protests until the apartheid system began collapsing in the early 1990s. The late Ambassador Zindzi Mandela, daughter of Nelson Mandela, also played a crucial role in the liberation struggle.

Today in Zimbabwe, many children still cannot fully access education in their mother tongues. Minority groups like the Ndebele, Ndau and Shangaan face particular challenges. There are reports of Shona-speaking teachers being assigned to Ndebele-speaking regions, which some view as continuing historical patterns of linguistic marginalization.

Personally, I never had the opportunity to formally learn Ndau in school. Despite constitutional recognition since 2013, Ndau language and culture remain neglected in Chimanimani and Chipinge districts. Many minority languages face similar challenges nationwide.

When children can learn in their mother tongues, they gain significant advantages. Languages like Ndebele, Tonga and Shangaan have regional importance, being spoken in neighboring countries. While English should remain an instructional language, mother-tongue education preserves cultural heritage and enhances learning outcomes.

Globally, successful nations like China, Japan and Germany developed using their national languages. Regionally, countries like Tanzania (Kiswahili) and Botswana (Setswana) demonstrate how indigenous languages can drive development. Zimbabwe could learn from Nigeria’s Nollywood or India’s cultural exports about leveraging indigenous languages creatively.

As we commemorate the Day of the African Child, Zimbabwe should recommit to linguistic equity. By valuing all indigenous languages in education and cultural production, we can achieve both cultural preservation and economic growth – key to realizing Vision 2030 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Newton Mambande is an entrepreneur and researcher whose work has been published in internationally acclaimed journals. Contact: newtonmunod@gmail.com or WhatsApp: +263773411103