There are more than 20 million Kinyarwanda speakers globally, and it is the first language for almost the entire Rwandan population – about 13 million people. Even the national anthem, composed decades ago, says “our language unifies us,” but this could change if no sufficient intervention is made to save Kinyarwanda from being ‘hybridized’ with other languages such as French, English or Swahili, which are also official languages in Rwanda. Professor Eugene Nsanzabiga in his 2015 study: “From the “trapped language” to the hybridized language: An educational dilemma in teaching Kinyarwanda,” said Kinyarwanda appears to be one of the world’s most complex and possibly richest, but increasingly endangered by foreign influences. “Its richness seems to be increasingly overshadowed by a culture of language simplification and hybridization that affect key aspects of the language, which might be stemming from cultural crossbreeding that the Rwandan society has been undergoing for some years,” he added. Indeed, we seem to have made efforts in pushing Kinyarwanda aside and mastering other languages, instead of acknowledging the beauty in diversity. In 2018, the Rwandan Academy of Language and Culture (RALC) raised an alarm about Kinyarwanda being in danger of extinction should current generations continue favouring foreign languages over their mother tongue. According to UNESCO, a language is considered ‘vulnerable’ if most children speak the language, but it may be restricted to certain domains, such as at home or other social functions. A language is considered ‘definitely endangered’ if children no longer learn the language as a 'mother tongue' in homes, and it is considered ‘severely endangered’ if the language is spoken by grandparents and older generations; while the parent generation may understand it, they do not speak it to children or among themselves. Sadly, Rwanda may soon qualify for most of the above if we don’t put in more effort in teaching children Kinyarwanda as their mother tongue and giving it the honour it deserves, which is speaking it, creating literary pieces in it, and more. Some parents and teachers have banned ‘vernacular’ from schools and homes, without even considering that Kinyarwanda is a Rwandan identity. While multilingualism is an added value, Kinyarwanda is ours, and if we can’t speak it, no one will. Kinyarwanda’s hope for survival lies in our tongues. Let us speak it, teach it to our children so that they can teach it to their children.
