The Minister of Sports and Culture Protais Mitali has said that Rwanda has established a Culture and Kinyarwanda language academy. 40 million people can hear and understand Kinyarwanda language in the Great lakes region.
Mitali announced on 20th February 2012 towards celebration of 21st February an International Day that honours Mother Language.
Mitali insists on the act of mixing up languages as one of the factors of killing the culture. He says, “It’s really bad for the culture loses.” Adding that his ministry is planning to see how Kinyarwanda can be instructed in a particular way as it is done for foreign languages.
The minister further said that Rwanda is trying to promote Kinyarwanda as its language and wishes to encourage parents to talk to their children about Kinyarwanda language.
“Foreign languages have to be used in the proper time not to mix up in away to show the level of modernity.”
He added that Rwanda has established the Kinyarwanda and culture academy to strengthen both of them.
Gregoire Mbonankira, the head of department of Modern languages at the National University of Rwanda says that Kinyarwanda is spoken and understood by many people in this region due to the partition and scramble for Africa.
“During the monarch period, Rwanda’s territory was bigger but after partition, some parts were given away to neighbouring countries like Masaka in Uganda, Masisi in DRC and Buha in Tanzania,” Said Mbonankira.
Mbonankira requests many people especially authorities who deliver their speeches in foreign languages to cease because not everyone is able to fully understand them.
“Public officials should speak Kinyarwanda language while addressing the citizens for their speech is supposed to reach every Rwandan and person living in Rwanda,” says Mbonankira.
People confirm that some of the people mix up languages to show that they are civilized.
United Nations for Education Science and Culture (UNESCO) set 21st February as a date of valuing and sustaining Mother Tongue in each country.
They emphasize that peace culture is to be based on the free use of a mother tongue in each country.
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