Are we still living in slavery? Or is it just an irony? Well, at some point while you were still a pupil, you might have been punished for trying to express yourself in your mother tongue, haven’t you? Renowned author Ngugi Wa Thiong’o has condemned teachers for punishing students who communicate in mother tongue in school.
Instead, Ngugi wants the teachers and parents to encourage children to communicate in their mother tongue.
He said it is one form to appreciate what the children and learners inherited from the old men and women in the society.
“The culture of teachers to punish their students for speaking their mother tongue in schools must stop. In fact, we should encourage them to express themselves in their mother tongue,” he said.
The United State based Kenyan writer was addressing authors, journalists, and publishers during the launch of his books translated in Dholuo language at a Nairobi hotel yesterday.
“Speaking and writing in foreign languages is a sign of colonial enslavement but embracing our native language is the best policy we can teach our children and the future generation so they can know and appreciate our origin, ways of life, culture, identities as well as our entire cultural history.”