By Sifelani Tsiko
Harare,Zimbabwe (Dec 15 2006)

Last week's installment on the need to promote African languages in Cyberspace generated interest and attracted reactions from both local and international readers.

So again this week, we take the debate to another level capturing the reactions of the readers who among them include computer experts specialising in the promotion of African languages on the Internet.

Generally, most readers felt the major hurdle is psychological. They say Africans still view their languages as inferior, a sign that Africans have not de-colonised their minds enough after more four-and-half decades of independence.

They say they would like to see a more interactive and inclusive Internet serving the interest of African people and promoting African culture in tandem with the rest of world on the worldwide web.

Others were quite radical and say we should write in our own languages without even apologising or translating the text to force or compel people in the West to appreciate African languages.

"Kaziwai. Ndichangobva mukuverenga zvamanyora papepanhau reHerald rinobuda paInternet. Chokutanga, ndinoda kukushoropodzai nokuti manyora nochiRungu.

 Chiri kutadzisa isu vanyori kuti tinge tinosumudzira mitauro yevatema ndeche kuti varidzi vemabhizinesi anoona nezvekufambiswa kwemashoko havasi pamwechete nesu pane chinangwa ichi. Kunze kwekugadzira mari, vanhu ava vanoda kuti utongi hwevachena munezve kufambiswa kwemashoko usimbaradzwe. Ndivo vanoramba kutsikisa kana angave mabhuku, vachiti hapana anoatenga, kunge zvinonzi ndivo vanoziva zvinofunga vanhu.

Kana muchirevesa, maidai matanga kuHerald House kwenyu ikoko kuburitsa mapepanhau ose mundimi dzevanhu. Imi pachezvenyu mune here website yakanyorwa nechivanhu? Kana manga musina, ndinoda kuti muve nayo, muone here kuti hamushaye vanhu vanoitarisa nguva nenguva.

 Mukugumisidza, ndingaedze kuturikira dimikira riya rechirungu, ndichiti muri kuparidza kune vaya vakatotendeuka!
 Ndini Masimba wokwaMusodza (A Zimbabwean writer based in UK)"
Musodza was unapologetic and uncompromising when it came to the issue of promoting African languages. In essence he is saying English language newspapers in Zimbabwe and Africa should start writing in African languages as starting point in this struggle to revolutionarise the information society to promote cultural space for African languages.

But he is quite appreciative of the moves to promote Shona on the Internet.
"Pawikipedia.org pane chikamu cherurimi rwechiShona. Sezvo maratidza shungu dzekusimudzira mutauro wedu, ndino kukurudzirai kuti muwedzere pane dura reruzivo rakavambwa mururimi rwedu. Kana muine vamwe vanoda havo kuti tibatsirane nebasa iri, vazivisei pamusoro pechirongwa ichi."

Other computer and information scientists urged African governments to subsidise the Internet for schools, universities, health and environmental institutions to help promote widespread use of the Internet in African languages.

"Just wanted to send sincere my since thanks  for the article  on -Zimbabwe: Promote African Languages On Internet, it helps link up to our origin and culture." K Malosa (US)

Dwayne Bailey of Translate.org.za in South Africa provided an insight and a compelling commentary on this debate.
"I have just read your article on promoting African languages on the Internet that appeared in The Herald on Dec 11. I enjoyed reading it as it is not often that newspapers in Africa deal with the language and digital divide issue.

It was sad however for me as in some ways it confirmed the terrible lack of communication across Africa and the terrible attitude we have to our own languages. I'll explain why now.

Your article mentions nothing about my organisation, Translate.org.za, which only 3 weeks ago won an award for bridging the digital divide in Africa.  We translate software into ALL of the 11 official languages of South Africa. Tragic in that we share a border yet can't seem to share this exciting news.  I've tried numerous times to establish links with academia in Zimbabwe to no avail.  I'm not sure academia is the right place to search for people passionate about language. We've also developed spell checkers, keyboards and more. I find it funny that we have to quote an American about ICT localisation.  I know Don Osborn well and he is very knowledgeable, I work with him and count him as a friend.  But don't you also find it

funny that Africa first looks outside for input?  I help more people in South America and Asia then I have helped in Africa. I would not get excited about Microsoft and their work in our languages.

Using Microsoft continues to be the crutch that stops Africa from developing an ICT industry.  Even your quotes from 1999 which saw (Africans) as consumers is still true.  In South Africa our Government spends R3billion a year on products from one software company.  Imagine what that could do for our local industry? Waiting for Microsoft is a terrible reflection of the African attitude. We wait for foreigners to rule us once again when we can set the tone and rule ourselves by simply saying we Africans will do it ourselves. I recently learnt a new phrase "Ethnolinguistic Vitality" - a measure of

the vitality or aliveness of a language.  In Africa our languages are dying, not because ICTs are not in Shona.  But because Shona speaker, the ones that can influence, the educated and the policy makers are not proactively changing things.  If you where poor what would you aspire to?  The example set by the elite, who continue to use English.  That is why every person of influence who we win over to take language in ICT seriously is important for us.  Because if they set the example then the battle to revitalise our languages is won.  We can only do that if we supply the tools to make it possible for them to become our allies. A friend of mine says it well, unless your language is used in the intellectual domains of the day it will be a marginal language.  A language used only for traditional ceremonies and to speak to the elderly.  And then one day it will be gone.  Unfortunately the only time you will realise this is when you sit with your grandchildren and realise they cannot speak.  People will blame many things for that travesty, not many will blame themselves, even though that is where the blame squarely falls. What we do is simple and we share all we know. There is no reason that languages in Africa should not be in ICTs.  None whatsoever." -Dwayne Bailey  (South Africa)

His organisations has scored many successes by developing the first African languages word processor in South Africa and the first in 11 African languages in that country.

Translate.org.za has also developed web browser and email programme in the 11 languages, a keyboard for all South African languages, first computer terminology in all these languages and software to allow users to translate software over the internet.

Bailey says challenges encountered include apathy of mother tongue speakers to use in the promotion of software in African languages, access to resources for spell checkers and difficulty in creating Nguni language spell checkers.

"I think there is much to be done in a many pronged effort to restore dignity of our languages into our own minds.
"In some ways it is simply a volume issue, we need to create more content. I have heard stories of academics insisting that their students write in their mother tongue and publish it on the Internet," Bailey says in a response.

He says there is need to encourage people to translate Google, Wikipedia, etc and to create content through Wikipedia and blogging.

"We also have a wealth of African literature that sits gathering dust on shelves in libraries, this needs to be given new life and published free on the Internet.

"Our oral history should be gathered and transcribed and placed free on the Internet. It must be free and we have to have free access to all in order to repair the damage done to our languages. If it is not free it continues to be the domain of the elite," he says.

However, Bailey finds it surprising that minority language speakers have more passion for their language than the dominant African language speakers in South Africa.

Above all, there is no doubt that this debate will help spur interest and promote African languages which are being crowded out by the predominant use of English of the worldwide web.