Language activism in Zimbabwe: Grassroots mobilisation, collaborations and action

Abstract

This article describes grassroots forms of language activism undertaken by Zimbabwean minority language groups in order to develop and promote their languages for use in the significant domains, particularly education. The article focuses on the strategies employed by these marginalised language groups in order to attain ideological consensus as they pursued the struggle for their language rights. These initiatives are undertaken in a context in which the government's language-in-education policy overtly and covertly betrays assimilationist tendencies. This article draws on the case of initiatives by Zimbabwean minority language groups to challenge the linguistic status quo and demand their linguistic human rights, to argue that it is important to embark on those measures that ensure that speakers of the non-dominant languages assume a prominent role in such processes. The article concludes by suggesting a research agenda which places speakers of non-dominant, marginalised languages at the centre of language revitalisation initiatives.

Keywords:

• language activism
• language planning
• language policy
• language revitalisation
• minority languages
• Zimbabwean languages