Shona Language Facts
It is sad how little we know about a lot of tribes and communities of the world. Some might say that they don’t have the time to learn everything about the world and its people and they would be right because no one can do that in one lifetime. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try at all. We can get to know the people of the world a little better. All of us already know a bit about the famous nations. We watch movies and TV shows which teach us about the people of the UK and the US. If you watch movies made in other countries, you will get to learn something about their cultures. Media is a very powerful tool for educating people. But unfortunately, it often focuses on the first world countries. If we only had media to teach us, most of us wouldn’t even know that there is a continent named Africa. Just because a nation is poor or struggling doesn’t mean we cannot study about them or get to know them better. In fact, the culture practiced in remote areas is far more fascinating and definitely worth studying. But unfortunately, people without resources don’t have any way of getting access to that information. We can improve the way our media works and the curriculum to educate masses about the underprivileged people of the world in a better way. If we produce educated classes, our future will be secure. More people will be empathetic towards the underprivileged and work to improve their situation. Charity is not enough when we have the power to act too. However, in order to direct the action in the right direction, the masses need guidance and that’s what the media should provide. Social media is very powerful now and it also has the responsibility to educate people. Since there are people from all over the world on social media, they can educate each other about their cultures and customs. Every time a new movement starts in a country, social media platforms become the biggest voice of the activists. It is also a breeding ground for future world changers. With the help of positive messages and call to action, social media can inspire people to take action and bring the change they want to see in the world.
Zimbabwe:
The diversity of this land-locked country is proven by the fact that it has sixteen official languages. The state took this step to make sure the minorities don’t feel left out. There was a time when Zimbabwe was so prosperous that it got famous as “the Jewel of Africa”. But occupations, change of rulers, and guerilla war changed the way the country was. During the tenure of the last prime minister, who later became the president, human rights violation became pretty common and the country’s economy went in decline. Zimbabwe has not recovered from that so far. There are concerns about the latest elections as the opposition claim that they were rigged. However, the court’s decision upheld the results and the party of the previous president is still in power.
Shona People and Their Language:
The Shona people form a vast majority of Zimbabwe. They are a Bantu ethnic group and are divided into five clans. There are also adjacent groups which are very similar to the Shona people in culture and language. The group is native to Southern Africa and can be found in all the neighboring countries of Zimbabwe. They have a very rich culture. If you have heard about Zimbabwe’s stone sculptures then you must know that the Shona people are to be credited for that. Their ancestors built stone cities thousands of years ago and passed down their talent to their future generations.
Shona Language Facts:
This is one of the most spoken Bantu languages. It is one of the official languages in Zimbabwe and enjoys the support of the majority as it is spoken by all the people of the ethnic group known as Shona. The proper dialect has 8.3 million native speakers. Overall, the tongue has more than 10 million speakers in the world. The exact origins of the Shona language are not known but it is believed that it originated from an ancient tongue which was spoken by the first settlers of Zimbabwe who came to the country before all the invasion forces looked towards the land. Mozambique also has a considerable number of Shona speakers. The tongue is written in Latin script and has five vowels. The vowels are pronounced just the way they are in Spanish. So, each of them will be pronounced separately even if they are placed in succession in a sentence. One interesting thing about the tongue is that a vowel always come at the end of a syllable and when you spot a consonant, it is the start of the next syllable. It is one of the few languages of the world that includes whistling sounds. This might make it harder to learn for those who don’t have whistling sounds in their native language. Studying the Shona language is not easy for people outside of Africa. But it is not difficult to learn about the language and the people who speak it. The fascinating culture of the Shona people is worth studying. And if you are ever in Zimbabwe, you can get to hear the whistling sound in person and get to witness this interesting feature. Read the full article
