June 16, 2026, marked 50 years since Soweto pupils marched against the imposition of Afrikaans in black schools.
Interestingly, Afrikaners continue to fight for their language. By contrast, African languages are dying. Few black citizens are mobilising to revive them. Do black South Africans grasp the importance of language in shaping identity and culture? South Africa recognises 12 official languages, yet English remains the dominant medium. The justification is that English is “international”. But China, for instance, has prioritised Mandarin in education and governance and its students and
economy are thriving.
During apartheid, pupils were required to study their mother tongue, Afrikaans and English. Failure in one meant no progression to the next grade. The system reflected an understanding of language’s centrality to education and nationhood.
I find it paradoxical that we fought against Afrikaans but remain passive about African languages. If language is the soul of a people, then the silence around African languages is a silence about identity itself.
Thabile Mange, Kagiso II
Interestingly, Afrikaners continue to fight for their language. By contrast, African languages are dying. Few black citizens are mobilising to revive them. Do black South Africans grasp the importance of language in shaping identity and culture? South Africa recognises 12 official languages, yet English remains the dominant medium. The justification is that English is “international”. But China, for instance, has prioritised Mandarin in education and governance and its students and
economy are thriving.
During apartheid, pupils were required to study their mother tongue, Afrikaans and English. Failure in one meant no progression to the next grade. The system reflected an understanding of language’s centrality to education and nationhood.
I find it paradoxical that we fought against Afrikaans but remain passive about African languages. If language is the soul of a people, then the silence around African languages is a silence about identity itself.
Thabile Mange, Kagiso II
- June 16, 2026, marked 50 years since Soweto pupils marched against the imposition of Afrikaans in black schools.
- Interestingly, Afrikaners continue to fight for their language.
- By contrast, African languages are dying.
- Few black citizens are mobilising to revive them.
- Do black South Africans grasp the importance of language in shaping identity and culture?
