LUSOGA LANGUAGE CONCERN: RESTORING LUSOGA PURITY FOR COMMUNITY WELLBEING

BY 

WAISWA JACOB

 PEACE CENTER, 

MAKERERE-UNIVERSITY 

Language is a cognitive device used for interaction among a specific group of users. It is a symbol of cultural belonging marked by geographical area and a considerable membership size. The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (CLRA) understood minority languages as a vehicle for cultural identity.  Attempting to erode the language, threatens the users.

Linguists estimate put the numbers of languages spoken in the world today at 7000.  Most spoken languages recorded as of 2001 were Chinese, Hindu, English, Bengali, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Japanese, and German. Those were only less than 1% of languages spoken. But their speakers comprised of a half the global population. UNESCO’s 2001 World Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger revealed a half of the languages spoken being so while scholars hint at 90%.

The several years of slavery and colonial rule commenced the extinction of languages. Whereas the elimination of indigenous languages began as a forceful process, in recent time, it has been more gentle yet effective. International media (most culpable being the movie industry and the internet) has done it all to meet the damage. Countries like conservative Arab states, China and Russia are a hand full that have struggled over the years to save their language and culture, where usage of the indigenous language is not only prestigious, but a way for anyone (including foreigners) to succeed there. As a result they are forced to learn them. Concerned authors have revealed that more than a half of the languages could be extinct by the end of the century, and many might not last 2050.

Languages thrived handsomely in the oral era of knowledge transfer, weakened with the introduction of writing and other technologies of language conservation. It has been the mainstream languages known for having come first into contact with the foreign visitors that have attempted to utilize new technologies of language conservation. The second and third largest languages as often graded were kept behind the innovations as the custodians of the original dialects died away due to age and disease.

The new generations that came assumed blurred identities that they could neither explain nor defend. Many years to come are viewed along the same trend. Instead, they are consumed by the most dominant urban languages –some of which dictate career success. The Unites Nations, through its agency the UNESCO promoted among other things the conservation of languages, but this has to be supported by the people themselves through advocacy programs. According to the CLRA, promoting minority languages covered addressing economic and political rights through critical planning and development of trans-boarder projects.

In Uganda, Lusoga is among the languages whose dialects are gradually disappearing due to the adverse impact of tribal invasions, colonial rule and globalization. At present, there are three known dialects within Lusoga. Some observers may call them a grouping of three (3) smaller languages, which could want to slip off the main and stand on their own. These are Lutenga, Lulamogi, and Lugwere (a mixture of Lusoga, Lulamogi and Lugisu).

Lusoga has lost originality overtime due to the culturally imposing neighboring tribes (e.g. Baganda, Banyoro, and Bagisu), very weak cultural leadership, uncompromising education curriculum, unchecked globalization negativities, and the huge generation gap.  That rendered the Lusoga language irrelevant in favor of competing yet dominant languages (Luganda, Lunyoro, Lugisu, and most recently Lungeleeza (English). With no or weak cultural leadership, huge generation and intellectual gap, there has since been no savior to revamp the one-way weakening Lusoga language. Only if the trend is reversed to move into the past to Lusoga originality shall it and the culture mean true to the ancestors and the creator.

The biggest motivation of any Lusoga language promotion group should be to increase pride among Lusoga-speaking people, and promote identity and usage –with emphasis on right usage. The prominence of Lusoga could attract tourists to learn more about it, or even stay longer to enjoy speaking it. Researchers too would find it relevant to their projects in their attempts to find out local names of organisms, medicines and ailments, as part of the undiscovered local knowledge worth selling out to the world. The Lusoga project will generate guidelines for conservation replicable to other languages and culture projects as well as be used as policies by national, regional and international bodies that strive to protect indigenous knowledge systems.

Social impact of such projects can be realized in many forms like the fact that they would resolve crises associated to cultural identity deficit among Lusoga-speaking people, which manifested themselves in lost morals, antisocial behavior, personality disorders and confusion –all of which can be serious social cost to both directly affected Lusoga-speaking individuals and the communities they live.

Social cohesion, order, and harmony that are much worked for as not only a point of peace realized social equilibrium, but a level entire humanity struggle everyday to attain.  Lusoga-speaking people will be empowered with the right dialects usable in Lusoga, enjoy it, and have the pride to use it wherever they are or they go. In the same breathe, the Lusoga-speaking people will be recognized and respected everywhere, and cause others (other language users) to like to identify with them or the language.

The project will provide employment to unemployed youth in the much anticipated tourist development in Lusoga-speaking region and increase revenue to both the local government and central government. Emancipate Lusoga-language users will have the time and space to nourish themselves with more knowledge about their language and culture and the motivation to promote it. Besides, they will have confidence and the urge to participate in the politics of their country, and defend their rich language and heritage before other powerfully eroding forces (e.g. globalization and foreign language influences). 

The project will recruit and train representational committees in places Lusoga-speaking people live twice a year by means of teleconferencing and annual conferences. Those trained, then go back to induct their electorates in all they would have learned. The management will be voted into power and serve a maximum of two terms in office.

Apart from their obligations pertaining to their positions, they will be charged with overseeing healthy functionality of committees wherever they will be. The committees will centrally advocate and network to share new information and sustain usage and coverage of the language at different administrative levels of the country and institutions of work or learning.

Initially, funds shall be sought from funding agencies in areas of culture, languages, research, and eco-tourism. In absence of external generated funds the project with embark of development of assets it owns into serious income-generating ones. For example, literature books, translation fees, stationery, publishing business, tourism guide fees, sales from artisan works, research and internship fees, and advertisements on project media. With all such input lost Lusoga dialects can be found.