It's time for Afrikaans to go
By: Clive Simpkins
I understand the South African Afrikaans language pretty well, I speak it less well. I have great admiration for its expressiveness and the sometimes (if you're to retain the true intention or sense) deliciously 'untranslatable' idiom. It's also proven to be a useful 'code' language for me from time to time. I occasionally watch DSTV's KykNET. But as part of the education system in South Africa, I believe it's time for Afrikaans to go.
I realised only a week ago that Afrikaans is still a compulsory subject at school. Why I assumed it might have become an option since 1994, lord only knows. In response to my 'discovery' I commented to a close friend a few days ago that Afrikaans is utterly useless outside of the borders of SA and that learning an indigenous African language as a second compulsory language at school would make more sense. His terse rejoinder was that an African vernacular would be equally useless outside of the borders of SA. This is not strictly true in my opinion because certain of the vernaculars would at least be partially understood elsewhere in Africa.
I wonder if the present government has pussyfooted around the issue of euthanasing Afrikaans as part of the education system because of a feared backlash and shrieks of 'minority rights' being downtrodden? I believe the time has come to give serious consideration to the medium and longer term role and viability of Afrikaans as part of the curriculum.
If young South Africans of various ethnic groups intend living in this country, then speaking one of the mainstream black South African languages will almost certainly prove very useful. If you take the scions of some of the leading 'exile' families now in South Africa as an example, many don't speak an African language at all. It also appears that a number of young black people who speak English with a private school or 'model C' accent, sadly don't wish to speak an African dialect at all.
So, methinks the time has come to do what South African Indians - in particular the Gujarati community - have done for many years. And that is, to take responsibility for the survival of their mother tongue via extra-curricular teaching. Muslims send their children to Madrassah. Jewish families send their kids to Cheder. So why don't Afrikaans-speaking families or traditionalists stop expecting the state to maintain their language and get out there and do something themselves? The current Afrikaans Idols TV search is an example of the community, via the ATKV (Afrikaans language and culture association) doing something for itself. That's where the future (once the education system stops playing surrogate caretaker) of Afrikaans may lie. Firmly in the hands of the aficionados, diehards and culture custodians who wish to retain and maintain the traditions of their past. And that's where it should be.
Class of '76 sentiments thirty-years-on aside, it's time I believe, for the education authorities (where is your thinking on this O delightfully plummy minister Naledi Pandor?) to look at the second language as being a compulsory African one. Two things will emerge from this: The first is that majority indigenous cultures will be better served and preserved. The second is that interpersonal communication on both social and business platforms will be dramatically enhanced for future South Africans.
Even if we don't actively euthanase Afrikaans, I think the time has come to at least take it off the ventilator and refuse point blank to put it on a life-support system.
What do you think?
About The Author:
Clive Simpkins is a Change Architect and Strategist. http://www.imbizo.com
