Language: A tool of colonization and decolonization
Loura Al Anezi
London, United Kingdom
The language is to explain one’s thoughts and culture. It has never occurred to me how valuable and vital language is. That is until I read the beginning of Decolonising the Mind by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o that inspired me to write this blog post.
I was reading about how the West severely influenced his education and definition of use. I could relate to how English was prioritized as a language of education and success. As he described, “English became more than a language, it became the language”. This statement heavily reminds me of my education in Kuwait. I attended a private American school in Kuwait. I remember how English was emphasized. During elementary and middle school we were only allowed to speak Arabic during Arabic class.
English is sought after because studying abroad is a more common option. Studying abroad at university means more likely to get a lucrative job and getting a social status. It is considered a success story in Kuwait. That is also one of the reasons why English was to be associated with intelligence and had cultural significance.
The idea that English is a social symbol in Kuwait is ingrained in our minds. The idea of obtaining this social symbol increased the motivation of parents to teach their children English. We were ingrained with the idea that learning English would bring success and social status. English is the language that would allow you to study abroad in the United States or the United Kingdom. These achievements and the language itself is a badge of honour for the parents and children to carry.
Thiong’o mentioned that the colonizer would like to teach a foreign language to children. This resulted in the control of culture and how people perceive the world. We consume teh media and ideas of the West. We would use the language in different means such as business or education. In our leisure time, we will choose English as our main language to watch movies or read books. In our education, we would prefer to write and read in English. That is why I am writing this article in English due to my familiarity with writing in English.
“As a result, the location of this great mirror of imagination was necessarily Europe and its history and culture and the rest of the universe was seen from that centre”. The quote reminded me how Europe or the West media is associated with popular books and media. Tv shows in English are more likely to succeed. People reading books about history and culture may lean into English books due to the high demand and abundance of them in the market. This article and the other works are I have is in English. This is because I have placed the English language in the centre.
We should attempt to break this procedure and focus on non-European languages. Languages such as Arabic carry a rich history and literature. Read feminists of the Middle East like Nawal El-Sadawai, who broke social stigmas. Read about the Palestinian writers like Ghassan Al-Kanfani and Mahmoud Darwish. They used literature and poetry as forms of resistance against an oppressive regime. Read local authors who are extremely talented such as Saud Alsanousi.
The realisation that I didn't place Arabic in the centre motivated me to embrace Arabic. I became more motivated to read more novels and academic readings in Arabic. I was more motivated to overcome the idea of English being a social symbol. I hope this article will also motivate other people to associate other non-European languages as the centre.
Hearing him say this motivated me to embrace Arabic, read more novels and academic readings in Arabic. Writing this article inspired me to consider Arabic to be more in the centre. I hope this article will also motivate other people to put other non-European languages in the centre.