Back to my roots by Mpiwa Bagwasi

I was doing my Journalism work experience this past September holidays and I was smacked by a rude awakening when I was asked to translate a news story into my mother tougue language-Setswana. I started to sweat blood, I tell you, as I couldn’t even finish half the sentence. I felt so ashamed, above all, disappointed in myself because my parents worst night-mare had come true…their daughter had forgotten her own language!

Your mother tongue language is the language taught by your parents and inherited form them. I had thrown it back in their face and allowed myself to be charmed by the “language of the white man”. This is why I decided to challenge myself and do something I have never ever done before, Speak only Setswana for a whole 2hours. I know right, what am I thinking? I don’t know, but I’m out to prove a point here. I recruited my friends to smack me every time I uttered an English word and im not joking when I say even my chocolate skin turned red. Despite the many fall backs, many laughs, confused faces, my as well as everybody’s frustrations, because, only a total of three people could understand and talk back to me, I soldiered on, I spoke my mother tongue for a whole 2 hours (minus the relapses ofcourse!), my parents would defiantly be proud that I escaped to my roots…even if it was for a little while!