A week ago it fell into my hands Decolonize the mind, an essay that brings together four lectures by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Kenyan thinker and possible candidate for this year's Nobel Prize in Literature. A book that analyzes the problems of culture and, specifically, of the literature of some countries from its own roots: that of a colonialism that throughout history has been in charge of eradicating the language of minority ethnic groups.
The world, the UN and the organizations talk about human rights, but we may seldom think about the right to also write in one's own language.
Captive culture
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, during one of his lectures and the main defender of the right to write in his own language.
During the so-called Congress of African Writers of English Expression held at Makerere University (Uganda) in 1962, there was a meeting between various African writers. However, many missed the Tanzanian Shabaan Robert, the most important poet in Africa at that time. And why didn't you attend? Because Robert did not write in English, but only in Swahili, and therefore he was not worthy to participate in such a conference.
This event has been analyzed several times during the conferences of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, who after publishing several novels in English thanks to a talent that allowed him to rise in the postcolonial social chain of Kenya, decided to stand and write only in his mother tongue, the gikuyu. A daring that almost cost him his life and led him to go into exile to the United States shortly after.
Two of the many examples of how the influence of a majority, in this case English or French imperialism that colonized Asia, Africa and Latin America for years, has trampled on various minority cultures. First, influencing them about the emptiness of their dances, lyrics, and poems; then, forcing them to turn their heads toward a new culture with which they could never fully merge. And meanwhile, cocoa, oil or diamonds were coming out the back door.
Adapt or resist
However, at the same time a broad debate unfolds in which opinions are many: some, such as the Nigerian Chenua Achebe, took advantage of the aforementioned congress to ensure that if he had been given the facility to use the English language to reach the masses, I would use it. In turn, many other writers continue to believe that the important thing is the content, and as long as it has a greater diffusion in a majority language it will be enough, because the author is not interested in the words, but what they tell. At the other extreme, the aforementioned Thiong'o silences his English language as a way to curb foreign dominance in minority cultures like his own. Ethnic groups whose language has its own musicality, rhythm and expressions that are difficult to translate into another language.
A few days ago I was talking about lto literature as a weapon to change the world. And the truth is that it would be one of the most effective of all. However, part of that odyssey to restore the wounds of the world may also be to allow all cultures to express themselves rather than hypnotize them with ideas that do not point to the real problem.
Many people, especially activists, are currently in charge of promoting the right to write in the languages of various ethnic groups. minority in order to preserve their culture, with examples like the recent study program in Kurdish approved by the University of Kurdistan, in Iran, or the promotion of Kichwa as a second school language, a variety of Quechua revitalized in Ecuador by the CONAIE organization.
Still, I would not like to end without a question: would it be preferable to allow the development of all languages instead of wanting to adapt them to a language that would allow them to have a greater diffusion?
And be careful, the word "nationalism" has not appeared in any line.