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Tanya Hawes
Cultures and values
Dr. Hall.
Decolonizing the mind.
I do not believe that anyone should be forced to change their language In order to fit in according to someone else’s thinking. It is the right as a human being to decide if you want to learn or to convert to another language. Why should you have to change your language? Why not just simply add a new language? You don’t have to divorce your own language to please another man kind, cause I’m sure if they were being imposed they would feel angry and objective too about changing their language. Your language is very important to your culture as a people. It defines who you are and how your family is raised, fed, and educated. It is wrong to be punished and humiliated because of your language. No one has the right to take away your freedom of choice.
In Kenya Swahili is the mother language, but instead English became the language for formal education. The kikuyu language almost became the third language of choice, which is still the dominantly spoken in the rural areas of Kenyians had to put up with abuse if caught using any other language but English, and rewarded when they follow the rules of using English. The Kenyians language helps them to form ideas and continue through with their culture.
The use of Swahili helps the natives to open the door to the world through their language, spoken and written. They considered the language was fun to speak and
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learn. Swahili was very much a part of their daily lives to working, to communicate, while working in the urban areas, or remote parts of Kenya. Kenya is a diverse country which had its own language. English in Swahili has now become the official language spoken by Kenyans. Their language expresses the different areas of the culture, the foods, its people, the music, the arts, the theatre, literature, and artifacts. These were the way to express their life style and uniqueness as Kenyans. The language was often used to describe the foods, the music and even for wedding and every day regular life to maintain their traditions in culture. Even to worship their god (ngai) who they believe created the tribes. In most homes Kenya traditional foods are still prepared, even though it’s had since been influence by the Indians, Arabs, Europeans, and Pakistanis as well as westerners. Typical foods includes maize and beans (githeri), mashed green peas and potatoes(mukimo), mashed dry beans and potatoes(irio), roast goat, beef, chicken, and cooked green vegetables such as collardo, spinach, and carrots. Weddings are still done in the traditional way, such as paying a dowry (bride price) is still an important part of the culture. The Kenyan’s population is estimated to be more than 40 ethnic groups, each having its own dialect. Swahili and English formed a communication bridge that would unite Kenyans as one nation. Ugale- is rice, bread, chapatti a kind of Indian bread. Nyama chomea Is Kenya’s national dish. This is very popular in restaurants and bars, also used for special occasions, such as weddings, Christmas and other occasions. Their diet also includes tea, which was adopted from the British and the Indians.
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Artifacts & arts- include carved wooden sculptures, which they hand craft and would sell to tourists, locally and for export. Artifacts that are very popular among the Kenyans are colorful hand woven baskets, massai beaded jewelry, gold and silver jewelry, musical instruments, stone sculptures, tribal mark, finger paintings, paint, batik cloth, kangao and the beautiful traditional kikoys (African sarongs).
The Essay on Hate Language in Rap Music
Hate Language in Rap Music In a recent survey of Americans, 75% reported believing that exposure to violence in popular music, television shows, and movies, inspires young people to act aggressively (Lacayo, 1995; Smith et al., 2000). The consumption of media containing heterosexist and homophobic languages, by young adults and children, harbors aggression and sexual confusion. Jung and Smith ( ...
Music and dance- the traditional music and dance is a part of Kenyans social and religious lives and is very important to Kenyans social and religious lives. It is very important to Kenyans culture. Most popular style of music is benga, traditional contemporary dance. Taara’s music is another kind of entertainment inspired by Arab and Indians. Using beats and rhythm, this is used with drums, and guitars.
Theatre and literature- Kenyans upholds a strong verbal tradition, which they tell through stories passed on from each generations, often in songs.
Culture values and etiquette – Kenyans are a friendly group of people and greetings are very important to socially and business interactions. Kenyans also take family life very serious. (By- kenyaninformationguide.com )
The English language was highly rewarded with prizes, prestige applause; it was the highest level of intelligence in all areas of learning. The formal progress of higher education (pg.398, p.10).
Final exams in school were given in English, so even if you passed other subjects and fail English it would fail you in all your subjects. Exams
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where done in English only. Having mastered English would mean you could now climb the ladder of success in the European world.
The punishment endured by Kenyans if they were not complying would be harsh. Even other Kenyans would expose you to the enforcers. Anyone caught speaking Gikuyu within school grounds would be punished. Such punishments would be lashes with a cane, or even made to wear humiliated messages around their necks. They would be fined money that they couldn’t afford if caught speaking the native language. With this kind of treatment the English language was becoming more dominant causing the Kenyans language to fade. In schools they would only read literature of the British colonials, which they would find hard to see any relation to their world. They were being thought that English was the only way to achieve in life, while doing business and attending schools.
The Essay on A Global Language: English Language
English is an international language spoken all over the world that was originally borrowed from the world. If English is used as a global language, there might be some advantages related to communication and business. However, there are also several disadvantages in terms of losing mother tongue and taking time and money. The advantages outweigh the disadvantages, so English should be made the ...
But the whole purpose of the English language was to control the people of Kenya to have control and power over their riches, products and their productions. They wanted control of how much was being produced and distributed. They were able to do so through the use of the army and the means of dictatorship. The soul purpose was to desensitize them from the culture and from themselves, by having mental control. By taking the language away it’s like taking the soul out of the people. Forcing and changing the language has caused an unbalance in harmony for Africans. What one
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word means in English does not mean the same in the African language. Not being able to use both languages at the same time made learning difficult.
The native language was thought to be ashamed of; by changing it causes African to be ashamed of their heritage. The Europeans thought us that the only way we can achieve employment at a professional level would be to know English. Even by changing the last names of Africans to a European name would be more acceptable. English was used to disconnect Africans from their heritage and culture. Causing them to be more manipulated and controlled by the Europeans. In church they also worship the European version of their god, they believe and customs all was being influenced by the Europeans. (Internet site: Assata Shakur)
Colonizing goes way beyond Kenyans and the continent of Africa. Colonizing still exists today, in our schools homes and the lives of our young children. Our children are still being mis-educated and rules of learning based on how they want us and our children to learn. In the homes they want to have control on how we discipline, speak, and demonstrate love to our kids. We as African descendants are still fighting to keep the culture and language in our precious African kids.
In the African culture you had to be married to have kids, provide and work to maintain the family. But because of the mis-guided education that was giving, the new generation of African in European countries now believes it’s ok to have kids out of wedlock, low achievement in schools, poor living conditions, drugs infested streets. If
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kids of today were being educated they would be able to make changes in their lives. In present day schools African kids are still being thought the European way. Take for instance one month for black history, what we can learn in one month that was taken from us over the years, which is still being regulated by the Europeans.
The Essay on English Language And African Native Language
Language is a great power which forms a huge part of people culture and identity, it’s also enabling them to express themselves and keep their history. In colonized regions the issue of colonial and native language became the subject of discussion between critics. In relation Chinua Achebe “The African writer and the English Language” and Ngugi Wa Thiong’o “The ...
“Decolonizing is a journey of self discovering awaking and reorientations”. (Internet site: decolonizing the mind; further analysis and strategy by Uhure Hotep).
Doing this will remove all the damages of slavery that was caused by the Europeans regime. Africans of today has to start rebuilding the family, and the community. We have to start decolonizing our minds and our kids back to the way it was before, life that had meaning to us. Teach our kids their true value, the language, the culture and the hearts being proud to be who they are without Europeans influence. (Web site The Dread Library by Erik Flanagan)
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Works Cited
Kenyaniformationguide.com, May, 2011
Pattern, decolonizing the mind, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, page 398, par. 10
Decolonizing the mind. Further analysis and strategy, Uhure Hotep. Designed by RBG, street scholar, 2010
Assata Shakur, wed site, decolonizing the African mind, africentric strategy, May 28, 2005
The dread library, Erik Flanagan, web site
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