Batwa Folktale Analysis

Aleph Aseffa

Rationale

This written task is based on Part 1 of the course, Language in Cultural Context. We studied endangered languages and how the spread of the English language has led to several languages dying out. Specifically, we studied the Batwa tribe and how their language, Rukiga, is being threatened by the spread of English.

The Batwa are hunter-gatherers in Uganda who lived in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and were undisturbed for over 60,000 years. But in 1992, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest was declared a World Heritage Site and became a national park to protect the mountain gorillas, and the Batwa were evicted. The Batwa are highly marginalised and find it difficult to integrate with other Ugandans. As a result, their culture is disappearing and along with this, so is their language, Rukiga. Unfortunately, not much is being done to save the Rukiga language, so I have decided to write a folktale designed to encourage Batwa children to learn Rukiga and the culture of the Batwa.

In order to make it more authentic, it contains several features of typical Batwa folktales such as beginning with “once upon a time”, gods, and songs. I have used relatively simple language and included pictures as this folktale is intended for children.

This folktale describes to readers in future generations how the Batwa tribe were displaced from their original home and forced to live and adopt the culture of the “Strange People” from the north, who are the Ugandan people who speak English. This folktale is written for members of the Batwa tribe and is intended to encourage the children to learn the Rukiga language in order to save this critically endangered language and to foster a sense of patriotism for their