IsiXhosa is the second-largest language in South Africa.
The Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) will commemorate the 200th anniversary of the written form of isiXhosa with a symbolic walk in the Eastern Cape on September 6.
The year 2023 marks the 200th anniversary of the written form of isiXhosa, a language spoken by more than eight million people in South Africa.
On September 6, the PanSALB will commemorate the milestone with a symbolic walk in the footsteps of isiXhosa language development.
The event will begin at Lovedale Press where isiXhosa early writings were produced, then proceed to the University of Fort Hare, Alice Campus, where early isiXhosa language lexicographic works were undertaken by the IsiXhosa National Lexicography Unit housed at the university.
The programme will be concluded with a brief programme at the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature where politicians responsible for language affairs are expected to participate.
The proceedings will be led by Lance Schultz, PanSALBs CEO, and the MEC for Sport Recreation, Arts and Culture, and the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature Deputy Speaker.
The Lovedale Missionary Institute in Alice, Eastern Cape, founded two centuries ago, was where the earliest record of written text of African languages in South Africa was made.
The formal reduction of isiXhosa into writing happened in 1823, after earlier strides in the late 1700s.
“The celebration aims not only to acknowledge the language’s significant development and the historical significance of Lovedale Press, but also to explore critical strategies necessary to preserve the cultural and linguistically rich heritage of the institution, which has contributed significantly to the development of isiXhosa text and literature,” PanSALB said.
“IsiXhosa is the second-largest language in South Africa, widely spoken in the Eastern Cape and used by 14 percent of the country’s population.”
Schultz indicated that the commemoration was an opportunity to recognize the work that has been done in the development of isiXhosa.
He emphasised that it was a critical historic milestone to ensure the equitable advancement of all indigenous languages in the country and address the vast gap between indigenous languages and English in publishing, which should be bridged to empower all indigenous language speakers and writers.
Cape Times
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