Chronicle Editor
Mkhululi Ncube, Chronicle Reporter
THE Kalanga Language and Cultural Development Association (KLCDA) has embarked on a programme to correct distorted Kalanga names and revive their true meaning and history.
The Kalanga language is one of the country’s 16 official languages.
In the past the language was not taught in schools and was therefore facing extinction.
Some of the names the association has put forward for correction are for places, schools and rivers.
KLCDA board member Mr Tshidzanani Malaba said the process will involve making representation to the community where some of the distorted names are found and to Government.
“The reason we want to correct these names is that historically these names have been distorted, some were written by the British who could not understand the pronunciations correctly.
Others were distorted based on the languages spoken in the region.
TjiKalanga was not taught in schools and therefore BaKalanga had no consistent writing system or way of putting across their language. Now that the language is one of the official languages and is being taught in schools, colleges and universities, we need to get everything to align with what is taught.
Before you could not argue and say it should have been spelt this way,” said Mr Malaba.
He said the association will engage various stakeholders like local authorities, relevant Government ministries and departments.
Mr Malaba said communities will lead the process and the Surveyor General’s office will be engaged regarding corrections on maps.
“The impact of having these names in a distorted format is that they look foreign and irrelevant to the communities. They fail to capture the correct history, culture and the identity of the people yet they are meant to be a reflection of them.
Mr Malaba said the programme is a process as there are a lot of names that need to be corrected.
A pick of the list of 20 names that have been prepared for possible correction seen by the Chronicle includes Mangwe District to be renamed Kalange District, Manzamnyama River to Nata River and Gulanti Village to Guwhulati Village.
The list also gives origin, reasons, and historical accounts of the names to be corrected. — @themkhust
Online Reporter