4 April 2025
The next meeting in the seminar series of the Center for Research and Practice in Cultural Continuity: “The relationship between grassroots activism, the officialization of the Tonga language, and its current vitality in Zimbabwe: A decolonial perspective”- Talent Mudenda, April 9, 2025
will take place on
April 9, 2025
at 16:45 CET
in Room 9, Dobra 72
This paper presents preliminary findings from an ongoing study in Zimbabwe ‘s Tonga speaking communities in Binga, Hwange, Kariba and Gokwe North. The study is investigating the relationship between grassroots activism, the officialization of the Tonga language, and its current vitality in Zimbabwe from a decolonial perspective. The research explores how grassroots movements influenced the policy shift that led to the recognition of Tonga as an official language and assesses the tangible impact of this recognition on language use in education, media, governance, and daily communication. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study integrates qualitative and quantitative data through semi-structured interviews with activists, educators, policymakers, and community members, alongside questionnaire-based assessments of language vitality across Tonga-speaking districts.
To join the seminar online, please register before 3 PM
on the seminar day at crp@al.uw.edu.pl
