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ZIBF: Language issue sparks debate

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AS has become the norm with the Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF), it is a space for heated debate among intellectuals and academics as they map the way forward in the country’s literary landscape.
After a monotonous sequel of presentations, there is always that controversial figure that leaps up to make a declaration that often leaves the Great Indaba conference centre divided.
It is the forum where you hear participants utter statements like “I did not choose to be born on this continent” or “let us stop putting liberation war narratives in schools.”
This year was no different.
The theme for this year’s fair was, ‘Indigenous languages, literature, art and knowledge systems of Africa’.
The theme was a challenge to the author whose role among many is to conscentise society.
The topic called for the revitalising of everything that is African especially the indigenous languages which have taken a back seat to colonial languages.
The issue of language was thus reinforced throughout the Indaba.
Language is the medium of creativity and thought and different panelists argued that as long as the language was foreign, development in all sectors would be superficial.
In 1899–1902, the Boers and the British were embroiled in war and one of the causes of the conflict was the issue of language.
The Boers soon realised that unless they asserted themselves, then they were doomed as second class citizens.
Panelists at this year’s ZIBF Indaba argued that it was time Africans asserted themselves beginning by using their languages to present themselves and their issues.
Each presenter was ‘forced’ to go back into time where they first met colonialism a period which Chinua Achebe refers to as the time “where the rains began to beat us”.
One of the participants, with the encouragement of several in the crowd, pointed out that it was time to stop blaming colonialism for everything bad that happens in Africa.
While Africa has its fair share of problems attributable to Africans, it still remains true that most of the problems are steeped in the legacy of colonialism.
Thus not to include colonialism in trying to solve our problems is hypocritical and insincere.
The audience member then went on to quote the cryptic and often controversial celebrated author, Dambudzo Marechera’s vague statement, “I don’t hate being black.
“I’m just tired of saying it’s beautiful.”
This statement could be interpreted in many different ways, but the speaker at that moment was saying, “Let us stop blaming the colonial past and move on.”
The idea of being tired of history is obviously sponsored and coming on the second and final day of the Indaba, was meant to pour water on the proceedings.
What was most terrifying were some of the nods that seemed to agree with the speaker.
It meant the speaker and those in agreement paid no attention to the effort by the majority of speakers to mobilise the sense of self-determination.
If the reasons that informed the occupation of Africa (resources) are the same reasons that are today informing Western interference in African affairs, then our progress depends on our having to dwell on the same issues.
It means we cannot afford to forget our history and stop talking about it.
One researcher Tanaka Chidora in his presentation, ‘Conversing with stone: Organic knowledge versus Book Knowledge in understanding Great Zimbabwe Ruins’ pointed out several reasons why there is no proper knowledge of the craftsmanship of the cultural site.
One of them was the attempt by the colonial administration to deny the cultural site to the Africans.
The reasons according to Chidora were that the present is founded on the past, it is a record of success and failure of a people.
This sentiment has been argued many times before it is usually under the misguided notion that the colonial project ended when we raised our own flag.
The colonial project was not just meant for the physical robbery of the continent’s resources, but the psychological raid of everything black and African.
Recognition of the power of African languages in African development means re-telling our history in our own language.
Even one of Zimbabwe’s greatest authors and world renowned author Dambudzo Marechera wished he could express himself in the Shona language.
“I wish I could describe whites in Shona-that is use deep Shona with idioms and proverbs that would elude even the most educated white linguist in my language,” wrote Dambudzo.
For years, the ZIBF was the biggest book festival on the continent before the economic woes triggered by illegal sanctions after the implementation of the Land Reform Programme.
And it seems it is regaining its lost lustre.
This year participants came from Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and South Africa among other countries.

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