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23 March 2021 | Story Mbali Moiketsi
International Mother Language Day
The Office for International Affairs recently celebrated International Language Day.  This year, we invited all faculties to submit the names of people who would be willing to contribute video clips to educate us about their mother tongue.  The videos submitted were from diverse academic staff members and postdoctoral fellows currently based in different parts of the world.  Extensive research has created this edutainment video, featuring famous language quotes, indigenous languages across the African continent, and business languages used across the African continent. Some of the indigenous languages on the African continent are fading away, caused by colonial influence.

Fun facts:
From 1994 to 2013, South Africa was in the Guinness Book of World Records for most official languages.  These are Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Sepedi, Sesotho, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, and Zulu.

Since the adoption of the 2013 Constitution, Zimbabwe now holds this title with 16 official languages, namely Chewa, Chibarwe, English, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Ndebele, Shangani, Shona, Sign Language, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda, and Xhosa. Zimbabwe therefore now holds the Guinness World Record for the country with the largest number of official languages.  

Albeit the main languages in Zimbabwe are English, Shona and Ndebele, the minor languages are Chewa, Chibarwe, Kalanga, Koisan, Kunda, Lozi, Manyika, Nambya, Ndau, Nsenga, Tsonga-Shangani, Sotho, Tjwao, Tonga, Tswa, Tswana, Venda, and Xhosa.

WATCH: International Mother Language video


News Archive

Kellogg Foundation impressed by MUCPP
2009-05-12

 
The USA-based W.K. Kellogg Foundation, one of the funders of the Mangaung-University of the Free State Community Partnership Programme (MUCPP), is determined to help this programme leverage financial independence to sustain itself long beyond its funding. This was said by its Senior Vice President, Mr Jim McHale, during his latest visit to the MUCPP to get an update on its work. We want to look at how we can help the organisation to get through this very critical time of developing its strategic plan and looking at how it can create its own entity moving forward, he said. We want to continue to partner with them during this time through both funding as well as moral support. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has been a partner of MUCPP for nearly 15 years now. Pictured at the function were, from the left, front: Mr Benedict Mokoena (Acting Director: MUCPP), Ms N.A. Phupha (Mangaung Municipality) and Mr Jabulani Khethelo (Chairperson: MUCPP Board of Trustees). Back, from the left: Prof. Basie Wessels (MUCPP), Mr McHale and Prof. Teuns Verschoor (Acting Rector and Vice-Chancellor: UFS).
Photo: Mangaliso Radebe

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