CORRUPTION THE NEW NORM

 SAY WHAAT?

"I am sorry I did not get that,could you repeat it ?"

In the year I spent abroad,I heard this statement about twice  everyday. At first I did not mind repeating and repeating  over again what I had said to make things clearer . I had to be the one saying things wrong .English is after all a second language to me, surrounded by native speakers, I had to try extra hard to make myself understood. 

I was wrong .I  came to the realization that, I was just speaking their language the only way I knew how and  I was not going to apologize for that.

In Kenya we can quickly tell where someone comes from from the way they speak. Over the years it has become quite clear that there is a 'right' way to speak.Failure to learn this way results in ridicule. All the comedy shows ridicule the various communities and how they speak. Its all in good fun until we realize that we are creating more division.We have quickly moved on to giving our children not just one or two but three English names! 

If we are all expected to speak a certain way then why are there so many languages in the world.We already live in a world filled with so much intolerance and prejudice. Our perception of  right and wrong is constantly  shaped by what we see and experience constantly. We are told that to speak English 'properly'  is to sound American or English. When we do we are rewarded for it,we get the jobs and the respect of our peers. However,what we fail to realize is that not only are we loosing our identity in the process. . 

You have to look no further that our politicians. See how quickly they change their way of speaking when foreign dignitaries are involved. We are left scratching our heads especially when some of them fall flat on their faces .We glorify them when they  use big words that we do not even understand.  A colleague once pointed out how we make fun of West Africans and their English accents. They are unapologetic about the way they speak,they have learned to speak English  without loosing themselves.Their movies their music industry they incorporate their accents beautifully. Its not just them South Africans ,Ugandans,Indians the list could go on and on.

So where did we go wrong,was it all the twanging that we are surrounded with on our radios and televisions. Its reached a point where some of us consider watching the news with subtitles.  Why are we doing this to ourselves. Imagine being discriminated against for your foreign accent in your home country where no one is a native speaker of the said language. Ironic right. International schools in Kenya looking to hire Native English teachers only. Where does the hypocrisy stop?

Foreign dignitaries and visitors from other countries have learned our languages. They still sound like themselves when they speak Swahili, so whats with the double standards? Kenyan parents want their children to come out of school with an American or British accent. They are not being taught by the queen of England!Teach them to love themselves as they are and they will have the confidence to succeed anywhere accent and all. To quote Trevor Noah "an accent is just someone speaking your language with the rules of theirs"