Language key in national development: ED

15 Jun, 2022 - 20:06 0 Views
Language key in national development: ED President Mnangagwa

The Sunday News

Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has emphasized the role played by language in ensuring development, social transformation and wealth creation the country.

The President made these remarks while officially opening the National Languages Conference that is being held at the resort town of Victoria Falls.

He said indigenous languages are critical for improving social cohesion as they give our communities a sense of inclusivity while nurturing national cultural identities, pride and the dignity of indigenous people.

“The languages of our people are therefore a resource that should be harnessed, not only to ensure cultural diversity and inter-cultural dialogue, but to also facilitate social transformation, development and wealth creation.

“I am encouraged by the fact that delegates to this conference are drawn from a wide range of stakeholders, including traditional leaders; experts in culture and indigenous languages; cultural heritage historians; civic society; linguists; as well as researchers and writers from both public and private institutions,” said President Mnangagwa.

He said multi-stakeholder synergy, like the conference, were a giant leap forward which must propel the development of an all-encompassing roadmap that will birth an implementable National Languages Policy and the subsequent enactment of a National Languages Act that leaves no one and no place behind.

He said indigenous languages were an indispensable cultural heritage which is necessary for unity, education, economic well-being and mass participation.

Sign language

“In the present national development agenda, which is guided by our development philosophy: “nyika inovakwa nevene vayo”, indigenous languages must, thus, be effectively deployed as vital cogs in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of all national development policies, programmes and activities.

“Similarly, increased production and productivity in sectors such as agriculture, mining and manufacturing, among others, should be promoted through the use of our own indigenous languages,” said the President.

He said indigenous languages, including sign language, has to trigger active participation of our communities, across the length and breadth of the country, towards nation-building and socio-economic development programmes, from the ward level, upwards.

UN General Assembly

“Drawing from our traditional customs and African value system of Ubuntu/Hunhu, the use of our own indigenous languages should see our people concertedly fighting corruption and promoting unity, love, peace, harmony and non-violence, more so as we approach the 2023 Harmonised General Elections.

“At the global level, the UN General Assembly calls upon member states ‘to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world. The sub-themes of the Sustainable Development Goals also entail the promotion of indigenous languages for quality, equitable and inclusive education; language skills and sustainable economic growth; as well as for peace building and justice,” he said.

The President further noted that the revitalisation of indigenous languages is essential for ensuring the continuation and transmission of culture, customs and history.

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