Hapa Marekani, huwa sipati fursa nyingi kuongea Kiswahili. Mara kwa mara hutokea mtu anayekifahamu. Twaanza kuongea, lakini kila baada ya maongezi mafupi, twajikuta tukijitumbukiza katika kidimbwi cha Kimombo. Vilevile, nikijaribu kuandika Kiswahili, vikwazo vingi hutokea mbele yangu. Ni rahisi zaidi kwangu kutumia Kimombo.

Suala la lugha ni suala la kisiasa. Lakini zaidi ya hayo, ni suala la mawasiliano. Kila mtu hutamani kueleweka, na tena hutamani kumwelewa mwenziwe. Kila mwandishi anapoandika, huwa na makusudi ya kueneza ujumbe wake kokote kunakostahili. Hutekeleza lengo hili hususan kwa kuandika katika lugha itakayoelewa na watu wengi. Mara mengi, lugha hiyo siyo lugha ya mama, bali ni lugha ya kigeni, kama Kimombo au Kifaransa. Tatizo hufuata: kila anapoamua kutumia lugha hizi za kigeni, mwandishi hukosa nafasi ya kuendeleza lugha yake mwenyewe.

Ili kulitatua tatizo hili, hatuna budi kuyatafakari maswali kama haya yafuatayo kwa makini:
a) Mwandishi anawezaje kutekeleza wajibu wake wa kuhifadhi na kuendeleza lugha yake na mila yake?
b) Mwandishi anawezaje kutimiza lengo lake la kuandika maneno yatakayoelewa na kuthaminiwa na wanadamu wenye asili tofauti?

Maoni yenu?
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(Rough Translation)

Language and Strategies

Here in the USA, I don't get many chances to speak Swahili. Once in a while, someone who understands the language comes along. We start to speak, but then after a short while, we fall into the trap of speaking English. Similarly, when I try to write in Swahili, I encounter many obstacles. I find it easier to write in English.

The language issue is a political issue, but more than that it is a communication issue. Everybody would like to be understood, and what’s more, would like to understand others. Every writer aims to spread his/ her message wherever is appropriate. He/ she achieves this most especially by writing in the language that the bulk of the target audience will understand. Often, that language is not his/ her mother tongue, but rather, a foreign language such as English or French. This gives rise to a problem: every time that the writer uses one of these foreign languages, he/ she loses a chance to develop his/ her own language.

To solve this problem, we have to reflect on the following questions:
a) How can the writer uphold his responsibility (that of preserving and developing his/ her language and traditions)?
b) How can the writer achieve his/ her goal and write words that will be understood and valued by people of different origins?

Your thoughts?