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Mbeki's African Renaissance Vision as Reflected in isiXhosa Written Poetry: 2005–2011

- Mona, Godfrey V, Kaschula, Russell H

Authors: Mona, Godfrey V , Kaschula, Russell H
Date: 2018
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/174705 , vital:42502 , ttps://doi.org/10.1080/18186874.2018.1457616
Description: IsiXhosa literary critics have not yet interrogated literature that was produced during and after the tenure of Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki as deputy president and president of the Republic of South Africa in order to study the impact of his African Renaissance doctrine. This article analyses poetry that was produced from 2005 to 2011. The content of the isiXhosa written poetry is profoundly influenced by the context of former President Mbeki's African Renaissance philosophy, its implementation structures and philosophy of self-confidence and self-reliance. The selected poems analysed and interpreted in this article suggest that Mbeki's legacy of the African Renaissance empowered poets to develop a narrative that advances the building of a regenerated South African nation and the African continent.
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Date Issued: 2018

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Culture, language and productivity in the workplace within the BRICS Nations:

- Kaschula, Russell H, Mostert, Andre, Wolff, H Ekkehard

Authors: Kaschula, Russell H , Mostert, Andre , Wolff, H Ekkehard
Date: 2019
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/174624 , vital:42495 , https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.25159/2663-6697/5009
Description: The changing economic environment globally carries challenges and opportunities for business. Cross-cultural environments and financial integration call for greater understanding of the workplace. The authors assess the usage and status of language and culture in workplaces within the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) countries through a light touch survey to assist in framing further and deeper research activities. The objective is to develop a suitable research framework regarding the place of language and culture in the workplace in multilingual and multicultural contexts. The authors argue for the inclusion of a cultural dimension linked to multilingual strategies in the workplace. The inextricable link between language and culture is explored in this article.
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Date Issued: 2019

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In search of the African voice in higher education: the language question

- Kaschula, Russell H

Authors: Kaschula, Russell H
Date: 2016
Subjects: African languages -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa , Educational change -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- South Africa , Multiligualism , Language and languages -- Study and teaching
Language: English
Type: article , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59274 , vital:27539 , http://dx.doi.org/10.5842/49-0-658
Description: This article seeks to understand what South African universities are doing by making use of language as a tool or as an enabling voice towards Africanisation and transformation with particular reference to Rhodes University, which serves as a case study. Although many universities now have language policies in place and are part of an enabling policy environment, when it comes to using language as part of transformation and asserting an African voice, there are still policy implementation challenges. It is argued in this article that implementation of policy, including university language policies, is now a key indicator for two levels of transformation; namely the more superficially visible or visual representation transformation, as well as deeper curriculum transformation through appropriate language usage. It is the latter form of transformation that largely eludes the contemporary South African university, whether these are historically black universities (HBUs) or historically white universities (HWUs). With the exception of a few best practices that are highlighted in this article, it is argued that transformation of the curriculum remains a long-term process, in the same way that language policy implementation is an ongoing process and requires commitment at all levels of university managerial and academic culture. The African voice in higher education remains an elusive one; though it is gaining ground, as evidenced by the recent removal of the Cecil John Rhodes Statue at the University of Cape Town. Furthermore, there is evidence of selected ongoing curriculum and pedagogic transformation, as presented in this article.
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Date Issued: 2016

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Intellectualisation of isiXhosa literature: the case of Jeff Opland

- Kaschula, Russell H

Authors: Kaschula, Russell H
Date: 2017
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67030 , vital:29022 , https://doi.org/10.17159/2309-9070/tvl.v.54i2.413
Description: publisher version , The origins of the intellectualisation of written isiXhosa literature are often attributed to the missionaries John Ross and John Bennie. They set up a printing press in the Tyhume Valley which later became known as Lovedale Press. They introduced written isiXhosa in 1823 and for this they are acknowledged as the first to write and publish in isiXhosa. This article attempts to trace this intellectualisation process of isiXhosa literature, concentrating on a critique and assessment of the life-long work of Professor Jeff Opland, who has contributed enormously to the present understanding of both oral and written isiXhosa literature. It is argued in this article that his corpus of books and academic articles require some contextualisation within the broader debate of the continued intellectualisation of isiXhosa language and literature. Reference is also made to the Opland isiXhosa literature archive and its contribution to the further intellectualisation of isiXhosa literature. It is suggested in this article that Opland is one of the greatest contributors to academic debates concerning isiXhosa literature and history. Izibongo or oral poems written by, and about Jeff Opland are analysed to further enhance the context of his contribution.
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Date Issued: 2017

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The amaXhosa ukuthwala marriage custom in fact and fiction: a contemporary critique

- Kaschula, Russell H, Huisamen, Tim, Mostert, Andre, Nosilela, Bulelwa

Authors: Kaschula, Russell H , Huisamen, Tim , Mostert, Andre , Nosilela, Bulelwa
Date: 2013
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68344 , vital:29241 , https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2013.871454
Description: publisher version , Ukuthwala is traditionally a marriage custom within the amaXhosa culture in South Africa which permits a ‘legal abduction’ of a bride-to-be. Similar customs of ‘bridal abduction’ exist, most notably in Kyrgyzstan, where it is known as ala kachuu. Research into these customs necessitates a more innovative approach to explore the impact of this social phenomenon. In this article the authors mobilise a fictional narrative to offer a backdrop for a comparative assessment of the impact of bridal ‘legal abduction’ and assess its contemporary status and role within a multicultural society which celebrates the rights of the individual while recognising the value and importance of maintaining cultural identity and traditions. Cultural dissonance has always been characteristic of modern and post-modern societies as they strive for a workable shared ethos. However, when customs such as ‘legal abduction’ (Mtuze, 1993:50) continue under the veil of cultural rights, the wider social sensibilities and perspectives can be at odds with the maintenance of such activities where these activities contradict the rights of the individual as enshrined for example in what can be seen as a liberal South African Constitution.
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Date Issued: 2013

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Vocational language learning and teaching at a South African university: preparing professionals for multilingual contexts

- Maseko, Pamela, Kaschula, Russell H

Authors: Maseko, Pamela , Kaschula, Russell H
Date: 2009
Subjects: Intercultural communication in education -- South Africa , African languages , Cultural awareness , Communication and culture , Multilingualism -- South Africa
Language: English
Type: article , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59412 , vital:27597 , doi: 10.5842/38-0-60
Description: This paper highlights the methodology that has been used at Rhodes University and other South African universities in implementing vocation-specific African language learning programmes. Essentially, the paper links the curriculum design to the theoretical paradigm of intercultural communication. Intercultural theory is used as a basis to develop vocation-specific courses where language and culture are taught, for example, to second language learners of isiXhosa at Rhodes University. These courses include courses for Pharmacy and Law students. This paper offers a new theoretical paradigm for intercultural language teaching. Furthermore, examples from specific courses are provided in order to illustrate how this theoretical paradigm can be implemented in a practical way. The impact of multilingualism and intercultural communication in the wider legal and healthcare work environment in South Africa is also discussed.
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Date Issued: 2009

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Reinventing the oral word and returning it to the community via technauriture

- Kaschula, Russell H, Dlutu, Bongiwe

Authors: Kaschula, Russell H , Dlutu, Bongiwe
Date: 2015
Language: English
Type: text , book
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67052 , vital:29024 , https://books.google.co.za/books?id=6IpwCgAAQBAJ
Description: publisher version , From Introduction: The aim of this article is to situate the importance of orality in rural communities within the paradigm of Technauriture, which is defined below. The chapter will also explore/describe the process of orality supported through community meetings, oral histories, and story-telling, and how it interacts with the recording process facilitated through modern technology, as well as the return of the oral material via technology. These objectives will be pursued as part of empirical data collected at Tshani, an area falling within the in Mankosi tribal authority in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Mankosi’s twelve villages are inhabited by amaXhosa people and is situated in the Ngqeleni district in the former Transkei region. Mankosi is about 76 kilometres away from Mthatha, the major city in that area. These villages are under the Nyandeni Local Municipality and are regarded as very disadvantaged. There is poor sanitation, gravel roads, and few local people have access to electricity. Most of the villagers depend on government support grants. These include Child Support Grants, Old Age Grants, Disability Grants, and Foster-Care Grants. Furthermore, most of the community is involved in small-scale agriculture for survival. People often move, temporarily, from their village to towns in order to gain employment, including domestic work and working on the mines in the mineral rich Gauteng Province. They send cash remittances home to their families. The primary technological devices that people in the village are familiar with would be radio and the cell phone. Even television sets are relatively uncommon.
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Date Issued: 2015

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Of Record:

- Docrat, Zakeerah, Kaschula, Russell H

Authors: Docrat, Zakeerah , Kaschula, Russell H
Date: 2019
Language: English
Type: text , book
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/174772 , vital:42508 , ISBN 9781928480174
Description: This chapter aims to analyse the 2017 resolution to adopt English as the monolingual language of record that affects high courts in South Africa with reference to the constitutional language framework. We investigate whether the legislative framework enables the Chief Justice to change the language of record; and how a monolingual language of record affects the official status of languages other than English. In this judicial context, the language of record is taken to mean the language, which is used officially to litigate in courts of law, the language in which the judicial process is conducted, the language in which the proceedings are recorded, as well as that of written judgments.
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Date Issued: 2019

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Technauriture as a platform to create an inclusive environment for the sharing of research

- Kaschula, Russell H

Authors: Kaschula, Russell H
Date: 2017
Language: English
Type: text , book
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67005 , vital:29016 , http://books.openedition.org/obp/4209
Description: publisher version , From Introduction: This chapter examines the importance of orality in rural communities using the paradigm of technauriture, which describes how technology, auriture2and literature intersect to transmit educational and other messages within communities. It uses oral literary research that has been conducted in the Eastern Cape region to show how technology can aid the data collection process, and how this technology can return such information to the communities from which it comes. This chapter also explores the process of orality fostered by community meetings, oral histories, oral poetry, beadwork, music and story-telling, and how this culture interacts with the recording process facilitated by modern technology. It will also consider the return of recorded oral material to educational and archival circles. These objectives are pursued using empirical data collected at Tshani near Port St. Johns, an area falling within the Mankosi tribal authority in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. They are also considered in relation to the work of oral poet, Bongani Sitole who lived in Mqhekezweni village near Qunu and Mthatha, as well as against the backdrop of research conducted in Keiskammahoek, and at the Broster Beadwork Collection, now housed at Walter Sisulu University in Mthatha.
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Date Issued: 2017

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'Meaningful engagement’: Towards a language rights paradigm for effective language policy implementation

- Docrat, Zakeerah, Kaschula, Russell H

Authors: Docrat, Zakeerah , Kaschula, Russell H
Date: 2015
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/174812 , vital:42512 , https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2015.1056455
Description: This article aims to develop the concept of ‘meaningful engagement’ in terms of the contemporary language policy implementation framework in South Africa. By exploring the current language policies, implementation and the current lack of effectiveness, the authors offer a new implementation focus drawn from the legal concept of ‘meaningful engagement’. ‘Meaningful engagement’ is a concept within the socio-economic rights sphere. This article expands and advances the concept within a language policy framework. Against the enabling legislative environment created by the Use of Official Languages Act 12 of 2012 and the overarching Constitutional framework which embeds the rights of all official languages, ‘meaningful engagement’ is developed and applied to selected language policies and practices.
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Date Issued: 2015

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(Latent) Potentials to Incorporate and Improve Environmental Knowledge Using African Languages in Agriculture Lessons in Malawi:

- Kretzer, Michael M, Kaschula, Russell H

Authors: Kretzer, Michael M , Kaschula, Russell H
Date: 2019
Language: English
Type: text , book
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/174717 , vital:42503 , ISBN 978-3-030-32897-9 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32898-6_23
Description: In their official language policy, nearly all Sub-Saharan African states use their indigenous language(s) as Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) only at the beginning of primary schools. This is also the case in Malawi. The curricula in the various school subjects are also highly dominated by ‘Western’ ideas and include very little Indigenous Knowledge (IK). Nevertheless, indigenous languages are frequently used during lessons. This research focused on answering the following questions: How is a meaningful Science Education for pupils in Malawi possible? Does the inclusion of IK and teaching through African Languages assist pupils in any way? Research was done in the Northern Region of Malawi. To obtain a better understanding, semi-structured interviews and ethnographic observations were conducted. The main focus of these interviews was on the subject of ‘Agriculture’.
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Date Issued: 2019

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The Transformative Power of Language: From Postcolonial to Knowledge Societies in Africa

- Kaschula, Russell H, Wolff, H Ekkehard

Authors: Kaschula, Russell H , Wolff, H Ekkehard
Date: 2020
Language: English
Type: text , book
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/174514 , vital:42484 , ISBN 9781108498821
Description: Language has played a pivotal role in societal transformation in postcolonial Africa towards the creation of globally competitive knowledge societies; however so far, this role has been under-researched and under-estimated. This volume addresses this gap in the literature, by bringing together a team of globally-recognised scholars to explore the effect of language on African postcolonial societies, and how it has contributed to achieving 'mental decolonisation'. A range of languages are explored, both imported (ex-colonial) and indigenous African, and case studies from different spheres of public discourse are investigated, from universities to legal settings. Demonstrating that multilingualism is a resource for, rather than barrier to, successful transformation, this book brings the intellectualisation and institutionalisation of African languages to the forefront of development discourse, and provides an insightful snap-shot of how current academic research, public discourse, political activism and social community engagement have contributed to societal transformation in South Africa.
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Date Issued: 2020

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Multilingualism and intercultural communication: a South African perspective

- Kaschula, Russell H, Maseko, Pamela, Wolff, H Ekkehard

Authors: Kaschula, Russell H , Maseko, Pamela , Wolff, H Ekkehard
Date: 2017
Language: English
Type: text , book
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67015 , vital:29019 , ISBN 9781776140275 , https://muse.jhu.edu/book/52741
Description: publisher version , To date, there has been no published textbook which takes into account changing sociolinguistic dynamics that have influenced South African society. Multilingualism and Intercultural Communication breaks new ground in this arena. Its scope ranges from macro-sociolinguistic questions pertaining to language policies and their implementation (or non-implementation), to micro-sociolinguistic observations of actual language-use in verbal interaction, mainly in multilingual contexts of Higher Education (HE). There is a gradual move for the study of language and culture to be taught in the context of (professional) disciplines in which they would be used, such as Journalism and African languages, Education and African languages, etc. The book caters for this growing market. Because of its multilingual nature, it caters to English and Afrikaans language speakers, as well as the Sotho and Nguni language groups. It brings together various inter-linked disciplines such as Sociolinguistics and Applied Language Studies, Media Studies and Journalism, History and Education, Social and Natural Sciences, Law, Human Language Technology, Music, Intercultural Communication and Literary Studies. The unique cross-cutting disciplinary features of the book will make it a must-have for twenty-first century South African students and scholars and those interested in applied language issues.
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Date Issued: 2017

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From Oral Literature to Technauriture: What’s in a Name?

- Kaschula, Russell H, Mostert, Andre

Authors: Kaschula, Russell H , Mostert, Andre
Date: 2011
Language: English
Type: text , book
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/175201 , vital:42552 , ISBN 978-0-9566052-3-8 , https://aspace.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/237322
Description: Oral traditions and oral literature have long contributed to human communication, yet the advent of arguably the most influential technology—the written word—altered the course of creative ability. Despite its potential and scope, the development of the written word resulted in an insidious dichotomy. As the written word evolved, the oral word became devalued and pushed to the fringes of society. One of the unfortunate consequences of this transition to writing has been a focus on the systems and conventions of orality and oral tradition. Although of importance, a more appropriate focus would be on ways of supporting and maintaining the oral word, and its innate value to human society, in the face of rampant technological development. Yet it is ironic that technology is also helping to create a fecund environment for the rebirth of orality. This paper offers an overview of the debate about the relationship between oral literature, the written word and technology, and suggests that the term technauriture may offer a suitable encompassing paradigm for further engagement with the oral word and its application to modern society. We discuss the late Bongani Sitole, a poet whose oral works were transformed into public and educational resources through the application of technology, and we consider the utility of the term technauriture for describing the relationship between orality, literature and technology.
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Date Issued: 2011

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The Sacred Door and other Stories: Cameroon Folktales of the Beba (Makuchi)

- Kaschula, Russell H

Authors: Kaschula, Russell H
Date: 2008
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/175177 , vital:42550 , https://doi.org/10.17159/2309-9070/tvl.v.45i2.4743
Description: In The Sacred Door and Other Stories: Cameroon Folktales of the Beba, Makuchi has collected thirty-three folktales of the Beba people. These stories are presented in English only. The book contains a foreword by well-known oral literature scholar, Isidore Okpewho and a preface by the author. In the foreword, Okpewho states that:“Tales like these need to be retold again and again, because the lessons they yield belong not merely to a long-forgotten historical or so-called primitive past but very much to the present times in which we live”(xi). The book therefore represents a sense of continuity between past and present. Although the tales may no longer be told in the same way that they were many years ago, the messages contained in the tales remain as relevant today as they did in the past.
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Date Issued: 2008

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Teaching Mandarin in schools is another slap in the face for African languages

- Kaschula, Russell H, Nosilela, Bulelwa, Heugh, Kathleen, Hendricks, Monica, Maseko, Pamela

Authors: Kaschula, Russell H , Nosilela, Bulelwa , Heugh, Kathleen , Hendricks, Monica , Maseko, Pamela
Date: 2015
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67042 , vital:29023 , https://theconversation.com/teaching-mandarin-in-schools-is-another-slap-in-the-face-for-african-languages-48505
Description: publisher version , It’s said that behind every powerful language is an army and money. Consider the case of English. In South Africa, as in its other colonies, the British arrived with the Bible in one hand and the breech-loader in the other. Behind them was the English language, military might and money. British missionaries wanted to convert Africa’s indigenous “heathens” to Christianity; to clone little English people on the continent through the medium of English. Next came the Afrikaners, descended from the Dutch. Their slaves created a “kitchen” language out of Dutch and called it Afrikaans. White Afrikaners appropriated it as their own and it became the language of apartheid. One of the tipping points of white rule was the 1976 Soweto uprising – a furious, powerful response to the news that Afrikaans would become a compulsory medium of instruction. Now there is a new potential coloniser on South Africa’s linguistic block. From 2016, Mandarin will be taught in the country’s schools as a Second Additional Language. This new government policy will see African languages bumped even further down the educational pecking order.
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Date Issued: 2015

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The influence of cellular phone "speak" on isiXhosa rules of communication

- Kaschula, Russell H, Mostert, André

Authors: Kaschula, Russell H , Mostert, André
Date: 2009
Subjects: Cell phones -- South Africa , Communication and culture -- Technological innovations , Language and culture -- South Africa , Xhosa (African people) -- Social life and customs
Language: English
Type: article , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59401 , vital:27594 , doi: 10.5842/37-0-43
Description: Cellular telephones have revolutionised the art of communication across all societies, and South Africa is no exception. Access to this form of communication has made personal contact easier, in both rural and urban contexts. Globally this form of communication has been readily embraced. However, cultural rules that pertain to face-to-face communication are often flouted by cellular phone users. This flouting holds true no doubt across many cultures, languages and contexts. Bloomer (2005:97-100) assesses this flouting of cultural maxims in relation to Grice's cooperative principle. This article attempts to assess how general rules of politeness in isiXhosa have been and are being transformed by what could be termed the "economics of speaking".
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Date Issued: 2009

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Language rights, intercultural communication and the law in South Africa

- Kaschula, Russell H, Ralarala, Monwabisi K

Authors: Kaschula, Russell H , Ralarala, Monwabisi K
Date: 2004
Subjects: Language policy -- South Africa , Courts interpreting and translating -- South Africa , Intercultural communication -- South Africa , Conduct of court proceedings -- South Africa , Linguistic rights -- South Africa , Multilingualism -- South Africa
Language: English
Type: article , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59434 , vital:27602 , https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2004.10587242
Description: This article seeks to explore the present language scenario in courts of law. The article makes use of section 6 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996), as a point of departure. At face value this section seems to entrench the language rights of individuals. This would mean that individuals could request trials to be held in their mother tongues, with fluent and competent speakers of that mother tongue sitting on the bench. However, this has not materialised. Contrary to popular opinion, the article argues that individual language rights are to some extent entrenched in the Constitution, but there are no mechanisms to secure such rights in the public domain. The article argues that it is often only language privileges that are preserved in institutions such as the justice system. Legally speaking, there is an obligation on the State to provide interpreters to facilitate access to all eleven official languages in courts of law. This in itself presents numerous challenges. The article argues further that the corollary to this is that there is very little space for intercultural communication in courts of law (as defined by Ting-Toomey, 1999, and Gibson, 2002). There has been little or no capacity building in this regard. It is English, to some extent Afrikaans, and the western cultural paradigm, which prevails. The result is further communication breakdown and language intolerance. In this article, the notion of language rights in courts of law is explored against the backdrop of existing theories of intercultural communication.
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Date Issued: 2004

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