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Arts Reporter 

REVERED storyteller and author, Ignatius Mabasa, reckons colonialism is to blame for the dilution of indigenous languages, especially Shona. 

Mabasa, who made history after he wrote his PhD thesis at Rhodes University in Shona, believes indigenous languages continue to lose their appeal.

He made this revelation ahead of his public lecture to be held at the National Art Gallery of Zimbabwe on April 28. 

It will be held under the theme: “Recovering Lost African Knowledge: A case of the milky way eponyms in the Shona language”. 

Mabasa believes it is never too late for policy makers to change this mind-set.

“The factors behind the dilution of our indigenous languages go down to colonialism where English is considered superior,” he said. “The way they use our language; we might end up having hybrid Shona because of mental colonialism. We need to decolonise the mind.” 

Mabasa said it was difficult to convince Zimbabweans to have change of mindset without Government’s support. 

“It is very difficult to convince or people to stick to the original Shona which is not diluted,” he said. 

“In my case, I have made it a policy that I express myself in Shona, I write my stories in Shona. I also wrote my PhD thesis at Rhodes University in Shona as a way of expressing myself. 

“I knew very well that I could do it in Shona and I wrote it in my indigenous language.” 

Mabasa, who has written a number of Shona books, among them the popular novel “Mapenzi”, is looking forward to the implementation of policies which promotes indigenous languages. 

His call comes at a time when Government has been promoting the use of local languages. 

A number of community radio stations promoting indigenous languages have been established, a move Mabasa believes will help in the restoration of culture.