Death of a Language
I have chosen the language Ts'ixa. Ts'ixa spoken in Botswana, has another language closely related to it, known as Ts’ixa. Also referred to as Ts’exa, this endangered tongue in South Africa is apparently only spoken in the village of Mababe, by less than 200 people. It is used mainly by adults, while children prefer to use Setswana or English as their native tongue. "The Ts’ixa language is threatened as many children receive their formal education in boarding schools, in which they are alienated, not only to their environment and culture, but also to their language. Many young Ts’ixa feel more comfortable in speaking Setswana and English, i.e. the languages they are educated in, than in their heritage language.“
What percent of Botswana is black?
Botswana is home to a number of ethnic groups including the Tswana 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, and Kgalagadi 3% (2007 est). White Africans make up about 3% of the population. Many white Africans of European ancestry have migrated to South Africa from other parts of the continent due to political or economic turmoil in their respective homelands. Thousands of Portuguese Mozambicans, Portuguese Angolans, and white Zimbabweans emigrated to South Africa during the 1970s and 1980s. The segregation began in 1948 after the National Party came to power. The nationalist political party instituted policies of white supremacy, which empowered white South Africans who descended from both Dutch and British settlers in South Africa while further disenfranchising Black Africans.
The system was rooted in the country’s history of colonization and slavery. White settlers had historically viewed Black South Africans as a natural resource to be used to turn the country from a rural society to an industrialized one. Starting in the 17th century, Dutch settlers relied on slaves to build up South Africa. Around the time that slavery was abolished in the country in 1863, gold and diamonds were discovered in South Africa.
Cultural homogenization can impact national identity and culture, which would be "eroded by the impact of global cultural industries and multinational media". The term is usually used in the context of Western culture dominating and destroying other cultures.
Language is one of the only things we have as a people that separates us. Separate isn’t always bad. When you have a place where cultures get mixed up and entangled there is always a winner and loser.
Its important as a people that we understand how we got to where we are today.
I haven’t seen or heard any places that stop or bring back endangered cultures in my community.
How about we leave each other alone, and not exploit each other for the resources we have. South Africa and Diamonds, The English taking the Native Americans land. Calling them savages and destroying their homeland. Colonization is the issue from my point of view.
Link to my video:
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