Maybe rising to the challenge would be a good start. Sociologists agree that few facets of the human experience so effectively transcend divisions to unite people as being able to communicate with each other effectively.
To do this, a shared “language” is indispensable. Whether it be the spoken word, signing for deaf people, semaphore or Morse code across visible distances, radio (complete with its own internationally understood alphabet) or even symbols to communicate at a stunningly complex level with animals, being able to share thoughts, interpret ideas, debate and decide matters is essential.
The technologies unfolding before us like a tireless rose are opening new vistas day by day. We are learning new and better ways to bridge gaps, understanding the revelations of world around us (such as the complex colour transformations of squid, or the intricacies of the chemical conversations within a termite colony, or the delicate frenzied dance of bees or even the seemingly silly chatter of prairie dogs) and understanding the neuro-mechanics of how we internalise and recall messages. As well as what so frequently bedevils the incredibly complex thing we call the brain.
And yet we are also painfully aware of just how fraught with pitfalls and perils communication remains in our world today. From lovers’ tiffs, cocked-up corporate gobbledegook, bizarre legal decisions (such as last week’s risible and bizarre US Supreme Court decision around the flick Hillary: The Movie), to localised conflicts and wars bear blaring testimony to the problems inherent in communications.
However, as someone who has spent his entire adult life in communications and even represented his country and continent in the no-quarter-given battlefield of competitive public speaking, I can vouch that being able to talk with and not at or past each other is preferable to no talk at all.
There is no argument about the fact that, with a population of more than 40 million and almost 16 years into full democracy, South Africa is today more fractious and divided than it has been in recorded history. It is the price of freedom. Instead of the diaphanous misty chimera of a united and reconciled “rainbow nation”, researchers, analysts, academics and ordinary people speak of an “archipelago of islands of people”. Some even argue that there are more “islands” in this archipelago than Indonesia’s 2 000 or more fragments of land in a vast, vast sea. SA’s prosperity has added to the ethnic, tribal, linguistic and cultural melting pot as unceasing torrents of refugees well up and the horror of xenophobia continues to grow.
And that’s all the more reason why we simply must learn to communicate better with each other. And the need is greatest among the most affluent. Such has been the warped legacy of apartheid that more than 85% of our population can speak a “white” tongue, yet fewer than 10% of whites can speak an indigenous language. It’s also a fact that the older a person becomes the more difficult it is to learn a new language. Adolescents become fluent in a language within a few weeks. I’ve been trying to habla Espanol for years und sogar ist mein Deutsch nicht mehr so gut. So people need time to learn at their own pace.
Yet there is so simple a solution, it astounds me it hasn’t been done yet — use the internet and the stunning reach of social networking. Provide FREE, DOWNLOADABLE, SIMPLE, CONVERSATIONAL language courses online and Thabo’s your uncle.
All it really demands is money.
The software programs exist (though, as with most computer-related stuff in SA, they are obscenely overpriced). The technology exists — it’s called the internet.
And given the market demographic, most people will have access to the hardware on which to learn the language they need — Chris could master isiXhosa in Cradock, Priscilla will get around Setswana in Mafikeng, and even I could khaluma in isiZulu in less time than it’s taking me to habla Espanol.
And don’t tell me the government doesn’t have the money. That’s just an insulting and lame excuse. Forfeit a few lavish food fights, cut down on the pointless talkshops (that’s funny!) and brain-dead ANC lekgotlas and apply some speed (okay, that could be a tough ask, especially seeing that Barack did more in his first afternoon in the Oval Office than the Zed has done in 10 months in Tuynhuys). But with commitment to more than their personal bank balances, even our amoral MPs could do this thing. It could even be a reality before all those tourists hit our shores in June.
Then again, maybe this is just too important and the benefits just too enormous to entrust it to the government. In which case let’s pressure the hundreds of millionaires we now have to follow the exceptional examples already set by their American and British counterparts and ante up a few months’ worth of interest payments to fund the whole shemozzle.
And if our secret millionaires are too secret or devoid of the testicular fortitude to tackle this challenge in rands, Bill and Melinda Gates are calling for philanthropic projects at which to throw their millions of dollars.
Let’s give them a call. Surely we can do that.
Agree 150% plus also all primary students (prefer this to leaner) to study 3 languages, their own plus two others.
Three comments on the US Supreme Court article:
- For years the Conservatives have been warning about the supreme court ‘making laws” and the chickens are coming home to roost on the Left’s farm yard,
- the court did not elect Bush in 2000, it just ruled that all districts were to be counted not just the ones favouring Al Gore which was not possible in such a short time. Studies/counts after the fact have showed that in Florida the majority did actually vote for Bush.
- in 2008 the big money, major banks and Freddymac/Fannymay all contributed more to Obama than McCain thus it is false to equate big business/money with the Republicans – even Warren Buffet (2nd richest person in the world) supported Obama.
Brent
“…almost 16 years into full democracy, South Africa is today more fractious and divided than it has been in recorded history.”
This is a LIE! SA was more divided during apartheid – now THAT is recorded history.
Attributing divisions in our society to language differences “..yet fewer than 10% of whites can speak an indigenous language”, is so simplistic it borders on infantile reasoning. The underlying cause of our fragmented society is like a troubled marriage, its not language, but attitudes!!! A simple example of this attitude shift that is required is the knee-jerk reaction of many white SAns accusing blacks of “playing the race card” which shuts down communication. Read Nikki Moore’s brilliant article http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/readerblog/2009/04/17/time-to-shift-our-attitude/ There is a deep wisdom in her article than you can learn a lot from.
Another reason for this fragmentation is the euro centric satire by Zapiro and his ilk which serves to demean, dehumanize and vilify black leadership. The racist DA is a prime instigator of this politics of division, and are sealing their own doom by acting so
The most troubling reason however, is the constant whinging and negativity as reflected by your blogs, trying to equate white to good/integrity/smart and black to bad/corrupt/buffoons, leave little room for productive conversations that could lead to the reconciliation thats so badly needed in SA. As Gandhi said – Be the change you want to see in the world.
To add to your awesome idea, you can even use celphone technology. At the moment kids and young adults are using celphone technology like Nike uses slave labour. It’s happening everywhere. It could even be encouraged as a marketing gimmick for 2010 – learn South African, in 13 easy languages.
Dave Harris, you are what is called a “keyhole” – you are so narrow minded that you can look through a keyhole with both eyes at the same time.
Every blog you write you accuse the DA of being racist and causing division, please give concrete examples. Please remember they were voted in by the people of the WP so you are also accusing all these voters of being racist.
Zapiro did the same cutting humour to white high and mighty rulers (+ includes white idiots in his current cartoons) so why should he stop now that blacks are running the show.
Methinks you are showing your racism by thinking blacks are inferior to whites so need your (superior white) protection????
Brent
I once suggested in a government policy meeting about empowerment training that they could offer white staff members the opportunity to learn the basics of an indigenous language. My words were greeted with a horrified silence…
That was a laugh! Why are so many South Africans A-literate. Well, there aren’t many indigenous-language books, are there?
Llewellyn, I was going to tell you how much I enjoyed this piece and how right you are about language barriers only adding to the fractured state of our country, but then I crashed into Dave Harris and lost all impetus. Mr Harris, couldn’t you please give us all a little break every now and then?
Sigh.
@Dave Harris
This blog of Llewellyn’s seems to me to be a constructive suggestion for positive change. The government has the wherewithal to buy a ‘national license’ for language instruction software which can be made available through the internet for the free use of anyone who wants to be able to communicate across language barriers with other people in South Africa. Llewellyn did not raise the issue of race, you did. I envisage that a Zulu could want to learn Xhosa or Pedi as well as improve his/her English, and that an immigrant from Poland could want to learn English and Afrikaans as well as Zulu and Sotho; the issue is language barriers, not race, and if one could learn more about another culture while learning a language so much the better.
If we can leave aside the gratuitous personal attack on Llewellyn for the moment to examine the relative degrees of division before and after Apartheid, I understand your beef. However, consider that during Apartheid there was essentially a black/white, oppressor/oppressed divide. We now have eleven official languages enjoying equal status; we now have an eleven-way language divide: I understand the point Llewellyn is making.
All in all, I view Llewellyn’s suggestion as unconnected to Zapiro and the DA, and worthy of consideration on its merits. Shall we consider it?
@ Shelagh
My goodness, I know exactly what you mean. Can we please declare a moratorium against the man’s incessant stuck record.
@ Llewellyn
As usual, the nail is under your hammer. As I said on Facebook, go to Tanzania and see how they do it there. Every Tom, Dick, Harry and Ali is a Swahili teacher, all using State produced material. There are Swahili institutes, crash courses, you name it. I sometimes think that the government doesn’t want whiteys to learn a black language.
BTW..what about finding a use for that useless SABC. Remember those “Siyafunda” programmes back in the day..if that’s what they were called ..yes, back in the dark days of the previous regime, ironically.
Poor old ‘Kettle’ Harris: again and as always, the best example of exactly what he needs to see in others. Racist DA? Racist Dave Harris, so angry, threatened and defensive, all he does is play the ‘double bluff’ race card. His rants are completely predictable, and as comical and irrelevant as those of an ET.
@Bill Rogers
This is by far the most ludicrous suggestion I’ve ever heard attributed to the breakdown in communications between blacks and whites. Just imagine a couple in a troubled marriage not wanting to talk to each other, is given the advice that they should learn each others native tongue. Its laughable. In India and China, there are HUNDREDS of languages and dialects that are foreign to most people yet they communicate and live in peace and harmony. How is this possible?
Apartheid’s ‘dom pas’ restrictions on blacks created the most the fragmented society in our history. Why is this so difficult to understand?
Anyway, if you took the time to read Nikki Moore’s article, I’d like to hear your views on that.
I’m not sure how you can call valid criticism of Llewellyn’s views a “gratuitous personal attack”. Don’t you respect freedom of speech any longer?
I have no beef with “apartheid”, it history. I DEFINITELY however, have a beef with apartheid apologists and denialists who infringe on the basic rights of others and slow down transformation.
@brent
First you spew your neocon Republican diatribe and now you’re really tempting me to retaliate to your name-calling. I could have a field day with the word “hole” but I’ll restrain myself since my comments will not get past the moderators.
btw.I wonder what makes you so sure that I’m white?
@Shelagh
Tsk, tsk …fortitude my dear. Crashing into the truth has that effect.
Brings to mind that Jack Nicholson courtroom scene in A Few Good Men, “The Truth? You can’t handle the truth!”
Athol Trollip DA parliament leader speaks Xhosa, as does Helen Zille, who also speaks German.
Good examples ?
Actually, it’s not that hard to learn Xhosa or any other African language if you want to. The Lumko self-instruction course is widely available. The reason why white people haven’t learned African languages is that they haven’t been obliged to and don’t want to. The reason why black people have learned European languages is that they were obliged to and wanted to.
So this posting is well-meaning but dumb.
@Dave Harris
You said, ‘I’m not sure how you can call valid criticism of Llewellyn’s views a “gratuitous personal attack”. Don’t you respect freedom of speech any longer?
I have no beef with “apartheid”, it history. I DEFINITELY however, have a beef with apartheid apologists and denialists who infringe on the basic rights of others and slow down transformation.’
One of the most basic rights is the right to dignity, and under Apartheid non-whites were stripped of this right to the extent that, as my father experienced to his astonishment, a non-white policeman was not permitted to receive a complaint against a white person. You, in labelling what Llewellyn said as a lie, are directly infringing on his basic right to dignity. Freedom of speech permits you to both express your opinion and disagreement with his opinion, but your freedom of speech does not give you license to infringe on his right to dignity. Play the ball, not the man.
“….Fewer than 10% of whites can speak an indigenous language…” That may be so but take cognisance of the fact that besides Zulu fewer than 10% of blacks speak another black language.
Thank god, I speak two and it is shocking to hear what is said around one by our fellow South Africans. I might add these did save me from being robbed outside a Cafe’.
@Dave Harris for once has something to say that is actually worth reading. But then spoils it all with his deeply entrenched Racism.
@Dave Harris should understand, most here are not racist in the true definition of the word. Most will never harm or deliberately cause hurt.
If you, Dave continue to play the race card at every turn and never comment on Bloggs that reflect the reality of your world you will never get your message across.
I say this because there have been a number of Bloggs in past months that say it like it is in anyone’s take of reality. I take particular note of your absence. I oft wonder if you agree with what is written or the truth is too hurtful to comment.
@Bill Rogers
If you re-read the article, the claim that ” South Africa is today more fractious and divided than it has been in recorded history.” is the big LIE perpetrated by Llewellyn.
During apartheid the ‘dom pas’ laws prevented free movement of blacks, something you are obviously unfamiliar with, just like your father was oblivious to the to the fact that “a non-white policeman was not permitted to receive a complaint against a white person”. Apartheid’s pass laws and racial segregation in every aspect of our society created the most fragmented oppressed society in the world. That is recorded in the annals of history forever. Why deny this basic fact?
btw. Do you realize that the term “non-white” is not used anymore? Seems to me like you have a lot to learn in the new SA.
“You, in labelling what Llewellyn said as a lie, are directly infringing on his basic right to dignity.”
Whaaaat??? Since when is pointing out a lie infringing on one’s basic right to dignity?
@Dave Harris, Llewellyn’s words are his opinion and he has as much right to express it as you have to express yours. If you disagree with someone else’s opinion you are at liberty to put forward your point of view. If you state your case adequately then other people will be able to make up their own minds as to the truth or otherwise of what was said. To baldly assert that what someone else has said is a lie is an attack on that person’s integrity and hence their dignity. In South African law this is recognised as the crime of crimen injuria. Personally, I am biased against believing the words of criminals unless strongly substantiated and independently corroborated. Which brings me to the point of asking you to provide links which independently corroborate your statement that South Africa was more divided under Apartheid than it is now.
@Bill Rogers
“Which brings me to the point of asking you to provide links which independently corroborate your statement that South Africa was more divided under Apartheid than it is now.”
Yours is one of the most asinine comments I’ve ever seen on M&G. How convenient of you to ask me to provide proof? “crimen injuria”….LOL
How about you and Llewellyn backing up the BIG LIE that “South Africa is today more fractious and divided than it has been in recorded history.” A LIE that renders this entire article as simplistic confused ramblings.
@Dave Harris
You just don’t get it do you? I have no opinion as to which of you is right, you or Llewellyn. You have an opinion and he has an opinion and I understand what both of you are trying to get across. Both of you have a right to express your respective opinions. But neither of you has a right to make personal attacks on anyone else, not that Llewellyn has, at least not in this thread and not any other time as far as I am aware. To disagree with someone does not mean that you have to label what they say as lies. Grow up.
Welcome back from self imposed exile. About time.