OUR ENGLISH IS BETTER THAN THEIRS

There are weightier matters that should engage African leaders more than colonial linguistic affinities, writes MONDAY PHILIPS EKPE

The other day, President William Ruto of Kenya stood before an audience in faraway Italy and declared: ” Our education is good. Our English is good. We speak some of the best English in the world. If you listen to a Nigerian speaking, you don’t know what they are saying; you need a translator…We have some of the best human capital anywhere in the world…” He was most probably in a light mood and wanted to thrill his listeners a bit.

The backlash that followed, especially from aggrieved Nigerians and other Africans who felt scandalised, made him reverse his earlier stance and said later that Nigeria was home to “excellent English”. I’m not too sure if President Ruto has the requisite credentials to make such distinctions and judgments but attacking him now would be as misplaced as his own Freudian slip. Even taking him head-on in this circumstance would be disingenuous. But those who link Ruto’s gaffe directly to Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu’s earlier ill-fated reference to the East African country at a public event may well be on point.   

He assured his bewildered countrymen and women that they were “better off than those in Kenya and other African countries”. Whatever purpose that expression was meant to serve, it didn’t go down well with both Nigerians and Kenyans. For the former, their lives were in a huge mess such that comparing the dilemma with what obtained elsewhere, no matter how credible, would be insensitive and painful. On their own part, the East Africans felt that for the leader of another country to ridicule them that way was abusive and provocative. Whether Ruto seized the next available opportunity to hit back is left to conjectures.

Whichever side of the divide one belongs, it’ll be tough to ignore the leadership deficit exhibited by these two heads of some of Africa’s most strategic nations. Apart from being Anglophone, Nigeria and Kenya have several other things in common including, quite unfortunately, despicable social and economic conditions. Till now, Tinubu hasn’t explained the reasons for his conclusion and why he explicitly mentioned Kenya. By assuming that the Nigerian people fared better, he unwittingly betrayed his disconnect with average Nigerians. He may do well by investigating why, despite widespread reports about the underperformance of his beloved reforms, the citizens haven’t yet trooped to the streets, like their Kenyan counterparts, to forcefully demand transparency and accountability. The findings should shock him.

Like Tinubu, Ruto appears confused about the best way to deliver on his mandate; to convince his people that enjoying the good life or achieving something close is still possible under his watch. And, also, how to truly earn the appellation of ‘statesman’ who is capable of rallying everyone to buy into a country that can make progress or, at least, return to its glorious past. It’s often advised that one should avoid putting the wrong foot forward as apologies could prove difficult or ineffective. This is what has happened here.

A simple knowledge of the influence of host local languages on the domineering foreign ones would have saved him and lovers of the continent this embarrassment. When one chief justice of the Kenyan Supreme Court kept referring to presidential “erection” (election) in her ruling a couple of years ago, I knew at once where her problem was coming from. For me, it wasn’t a chance to laugh at her but to understand without any reservation that phonetic renderings can’t always be taken for granted. Since when did the mastery of acquired imperial languages like English, French, Portuguese and Arabic become a parameter for measuring intelligence, anyway?

Interestingly, an article in Laurea Journal published in September 2022, “English Language and Education in Kenya”, written by Jarmo Mikronen isn’t as enthusiastic and lavish in its assessment of the situation compared with Ruto’s. As he puts it, “The reasons behind poor English skills are well-known. Varying levels of schools (especially between public and private schools), poverty, chronic lack of teachers and lack of reading materials in English besides textbooks have been mentioned. Another reason is that despite its status as a language of learning, English is rarely used by many Kenyan students outside school. Kiswahili and Sheng are used instead as lingua franca by the young people. Sheng is an informal or slang language that combines words from Kiswahili, English and other languages while using Kiswahili grammar and syntax…. Learning experiences have not always been positive and rules have been strictly enforced.” As expected, this challenging experience isn’t peculiar to Kenya. The task of adopting linguistic systems that are at variance with domestic realities can be daunting.

One aspect of Mikronen’s report is flattering, though. According to him, “in 2021, Kenya ranked 21st, the second-best African country after South Africa (12). For comparison, rank of Finland was 9, Sweden 8, Norway 5 and Denmark 3…. As far as English skills are concerned, British English still remains the ideal in Kenya and English skills form a social divide. Higher education and wealth correlate closely with English skills which is also true in Europe. It also applies when one compares countries: EF noted that its English Proficiency Index correlates with GDP per capita and education.” These statistics ought not to gladden Ruto beyond normal. He should, instead, be guided by the same spirit that enabled our heroes past like Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Kenneth Kaunda and Muammar Ghaddafi to devote their lives to Africanism.    

Let’s be clear. The place of the intellect in being able to master English shouldn’t be downplayed or rubbished. Just as it would be self-sabotaging to ascribe superiority to it. For, literacy, as defined by UNESCO, is truly sobering: “The ability to read and write effectively, enabling individuals to communicate and comprehend written information. This foundational skill is essential in education, as it empowers people to access knowledge, participate in society, and engage in lifelong learning. Literacy also encompasses critical thinking and understanding of various texts across different contexts.” No particular language, its history, standardisation and domination notwithstanding, is stated here. Meaning, inferiority complex needn’t arise. Any of the indigenous Nigerian and Kenyan languages can actually be developed to meet these communication needs. Surely, it’ll take time to formulate and operationalise the enabling policies. Hard, no doubt, but that’s the way to go, not a return to the mental slavery by the very encumbrances that have perpetually kept Africa’s cultures and sense of self-awareness and dignity in a reverse mode.

Let’s maximise this English crossfire between these two brotherly nations. Identity is a major of pillar of international diplomacy and presence. Many developed countries didn’t attain their status by idolising the language of the British. Neither should we. Time has come to be very proud of our mother tongues, beginning from those in leadership positions. That will at least save some of them the misery and discomfiture of struggling to speak English. The merits are unquantifiable.  

Dr Ekpe is a member of THISDAY Editorial Board

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