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by Clement Njoroge

Mary Wanjiru, 70, was taken aback when her son brought her the news that the Kenyan government plans to ban local-language broadcasting in the name of national unity.

Wanjiru has had no formal education and only understands Kikuyu, her mother tongue. She listens to Kameme Radio FM and even carries the small radio her son bought her to the Kawangware market where she spends her day selling green vegetables. She relies on the radio to catch up with news and listen to some traditional and modern songs.

Her favourite programme is Githingithia (Earthquake), a hilarious and educational comedy performed by two old folks to teach people about old and new trends of life.

Last September, President Daniel arap Moi said that local-language broadcasts promote ethnic chauvinism, consequently undermining the goal of national unity. The president further instructed Minister for Information, Transport and Communication, Musalia Mudavadi, and Attorney General Amos Wako to ensure that private radio stations broadcast in either English or Kiswahili, with the assumption that these are the only languages that can foster national unity.

Casualties of the move would be three stations currently on air - the mainly Kikuyu language Kameme FM, the Kalanjin religious station Rehema Radio, and the Metro East FM, which broadcasts mainly in Hindi.

A cross-section of Kenyans expressed their disgust and mounted pressure on the president to rescind his orders to slap a ban on private radio stations broadcasting in local languages.

The Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya, Archbishop David Gitari, told Africanews that the Church would object to any law that muzzles press freedom. He accused Moi of seeking to control the press for personal gain, saying that the electronic media should be able to use any vernacular as the medium of communication.

'So long as the media are operating ethically, they are free to use whatever language they want.' Gitari said some Kenyans whose needs must also be addressed are not literate in the Kiswahili or English languages.

Peter Kiprono, a businessman, concurs with the Archbishop's sentiments and adds: 'Many Kenyans are not well-versed in English and Kiswahili. How best will their needs be met?

'How do we educate these people on their constitutional and human rights if we don't communicate with them in the language they understand? And what about the educated Kenyans who are deeply rooted in their culture and who are fond of listening to the traditions of their people?'

Like many African countries, Kenya's cultural repression clearly started with colonisation and the eventual disruption in traditional social and political systems during the colonial period.

After independence, the major tasks ahead were to fight poverty, ignorance and disease. Besides these, the most significant task was to define a new identity and work towards its consolidation.

This national tenet was complicated by the issue of language in a country of over 45 ethnic communities. Thirty-five years down the line, the language issue has become more complicated than ever before.

The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) Cultural Charter for Africa (1976) emphasised the need for restoring and perfecting our languages for education and broadcasting and called for the rehabilitation, restoration, preservation and promotion of African culture and heritage.

It condemned colonisation for cultural de-personalisation of the African people and misrepresentation of our history. Colonialism systematically disparaged and degraded Africa's value, and tried to replace our language with that of the colonisers.

Our mother tongues contain many words, expressions and proverbs that reflect our unique reality that we cannot otherwise express in foreign languages. And why should we limit our communication boundaries?

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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