Nzeme is a collaborative tool about African names, places, other things etc.
If you are African, I would like to give you a simple test. What is a smartphone in your language and how many people in your cirlces that can tell you what a smartphone is in your/their local language?
Uganda alone has over 50 tribes, each tribe with it's own unique language. For many reasons people from each particular tribe nolonger speak their native language for most part of the day no matter how big a unit they are. In fact, the elites(formerly educated and have professional jobs) rarely speak native languages. And because of their influence in the communities they attract a big following who copy their(elite) lifestyle. The preferrable language communication to native languages is English. English is a foreign language that was introduced during the colonial years. The language became preferrable for many reasons but the education and professional employment is majorly at the cornerstone of it's popularity.
Because I might not mention about the benefits of speaking a foreign language, I would like to emphasis that it has many of them but at this moment allow mention some downsides.
- Culture distinction. When a native language is surpressed, it also goes with the norms of the society which used to speak that language.
- Effective communication. There will always be a growing gap between those who communication in the native language profeciently and those who speak a foreign language.
- Confedince and self esteem. Since it takes time to become good at a new language, it somehow increases the reduction of individual self-esteem hence they will keep a lot to themselves no matter the context. Take classroom for example, a child might keep silent for days because he/she fears to be laughed at.
Both foreign and native languages can co-exist in a community, especially if the people of the community have a good idea about both the languages. However, if you would agree with me for example in Buganda, luganda has adapted some English words hence losing the native words. For example, native people who don't even speak English refer many English tools by their English names. I think we can put in a place a platform which allow the native people collaborate about but not limited to native names of people, animals, plants, places, household tools.
