Language Policy, Citizenship and Discourses of Exclusion in Zimbabwe

Abstract

This chapter examines the post colonial language policy transformations in Zimbabwe and how these have significantly influenced notions of citizenship and national identity. Five language policy-related documents are discussed, namely the 'National Cultural Policy of Zimbabwe', the 1987 'Education Act', the 'Position Paper on Zimbabwe's Language Policy', the 'National Language Policy Advisory Panel (NLPAP)' report, and the 'Nziramasanga Commission on Education and Training in Zimbabwe'. One predominant feature of these language policy documents is their insistence on the imposition of Shona and Ndebele linguistic and cultural norms as the defining pillar of what it means to be Zimbabwean. This apparent bimodal and bicultural view characterised by intolerance to linguistic pluralism and cultural diversity, insensitivity to minority languages and cultures, and the over-politicisation of language policy has culminated in a skewed perception of Zimbabwean citizenship and nationhood. This chapter interrogates the policy documents with a view to exposing their role in legitimising and perpetuating the exclusion of speakers of minority languages and the far-reaching implications of such policies for the maintenance and survival of minority cultural identities.