More than Skin Deep

Many years ago as a Language student in England I struggled while making a presentation mainly because I felt like my accent was harboring my message.

However the Professor at the end of the class commended me on a job well done and while looking for reaffirmation I asked him if my accent had not come in the way of what I was saying. To my surprise he said it had instead added and helped him appreciate more what I had had to say, he also went on to say something that I have kept close at my heart since which is that  , the way I talk is part of my heritage and I should not change myself for anyone. This discovery was a show of deep truth; I learnt from it and have embraced it since in my many journeys in unfamiliar lands far, far away from home.

When I have been back home, I have had people wonder why I don’t have any of the exotic western accents. My people tend to be blindsided by thinking everything West is supreme and the ‘IT’ thing. Growing up we were punished for speaking our mother tongues while at school, one of the punishments for speaking vernacular was wearing a sack for a dress until you found someone else speaking the same and then you did the honors of passing it on, talk about alienating one from the cool English speakers. I totally get where the school system was coming from in their bid to ensure we learnt to not only write and speak but express ourselves fluently in the Colonizers language (no pun intended) that also double’s as my country’s official language.

I have a good command of both written and spoken English and I think in English half the time, sadly I also express myself better in English than my own language but then I have found that sometimes there are some things that happen and my language has a richer expression of what transpires and the English takes from it. When praying, I have also discovered that when I use my language it is more heartfelt whereas in English sometimes  it seems rushed or simply going through the motions.

I tend to speak my language more and more whenever I can, being far away from home I cherish every time I can get away with speaking it. Thanks to that professor’s revelation too, I no longer have binders up that prevent me from seeing the richness in not just my cultural heritage but my language in shaping my identity in an ever changing world. I believe our first language is critical to how we identify ourselves ad reinforces as well as builds our self-esteem.

After that epiphany many years ago as a foreign student many years ago , I am a silent advocate for people teaching children about their culture  and what easier place to start than teaching them how to speak their language. Understandably this easily said than done especially for kids who live away from where they are ethnically from and find themselves a minority of a minority in the societies they live in.

However it is possible and has been done, so you can imagine my joy when I met a cousin who is a 2^nd generation American, born and bred but speaks Luganda, my ethnic language as fluently as me. She is only 15 and I had an eventful time trying to engage her on her plans for the future. Her youthful energy was infectious as she talked about her goals and how she was navigating between different choices.  Most Ugandans will tell you we have a tendency to throw in few English words while speaking our native languages and vice versa so it was interesting how this has rubbed on her too.

As I sat back listening to her, I not only understood her story but it was 'Crystal' clear to me that expressing herself in more than one language in a way empowered her for the different audiences that she encounters owing to her cultural background.

Differences in a multi-cultural society should not only be accepted but celebrated. So proud of you Crystal for taking pride in your culture and language, even more proud of your mum my aunt Sarah for ensuring that what takes effort for others has now become instinctual for you .

I will continue to advocate that parents don’t erect barricades to stop their children from learning where they come from; charity begins at home so let’s use our tongues to embrace our languages as part of our identity.