BURNING THE LIBRARY OF DIVERSITY: THE REPEAT / CONTINUATION OF ALEXANDRIA’S DISASTER
How can the burning of the library of diversity of languages be prevented? Homogenization is raining ash and the eyes of pluralism are burning. The results of the unsuccessful South African experiment of 11 “official” languages with specific reference to the annexation of Afrikaans speaking people’s intellectual spaces and the recolonization of the none Anglo-Saxon population through the predominant use of English will be analysed.
The failure to enter into a linguistic and cultural dialogue notwithstanding the associative linguistic and cultural rights protected in the Constitution, will be elaborated on. The negative influence of assimilation through a policy of the refusal to implement and execute constitutional protected embryo language rights will be discussed with the emphasis that paper rights without a political will to execute same are worthless. The forces to hegemonize are indoctrinated by their perception of the myth that peace and stability will be eternalised if they bow before a so-called realist approach through a single “common language” and the mutual misunderstanding continues.
The neglect to learn each other’s languages to promote diversity is a historic reaction towards the past, which is an emotional immature fact of the day which gives the opportunity for English as the only common language.
In the paper the suppression by the SA Government of Afrikaans directly and indirectly in the public sphere and secondary and tertiary educational fields will specifically be referred to.
The creation of a digital based lobby group of nations through virtual state amidst the population explosion and the relativisation of state boundaries, as we know them today, is put forward as a solution of the quest to curtail the negative effects of hegemonization caused by globalisation and other unitarian forces. Language citizenship is the prerequisite for citizenship of such a virtual language state. The choice not to become an accomplice to react violently as negative reaction towards structural violence, but to create a virtual state in which co-existence can be created, is put forward. A none ignorable lobby group, which promotes diversity in peace as an answer to structural and political suppression is thus proposed. Pluralism may be retained amidst the tsunami of hegemonization through a virtual state or state.
In the shadow of the flames of the fires of default, diversity killers ignore the knocking on the door and the pleas to be part of a rainbow language dispensation, but a united nation of virtual states may be the answer to the existential linguistic eco system’s destruction by this fire.
KEYWORDS:
1. Library of Diversity
2. Homogenization
3. Hegemonization
4. Virtual State
5. Lobby group
6. Language citizenship
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
1. Cornelus J.A Lourens is a practicing attorney in South Africa with twentyseven years’ experience as trial lawyer with a right of appearance in the lower and higher courts.
2. A Language rights activist who successfully forced the South African National Government and Provincial Goverments to enact language legislation.
3. Presenter of papers at various conferences in regard to language rights of which the following are relevant which were delivered at the International academy of linguistic law’s conferences:
3.1 Language rights in the Constitution: The unborn language legislation of subsection 6(4) and the consequences of the delayed birth, 2010.
3.2 Denial of language rights by the Government of South Africa: Constitutional breakdown or break-up of the Republic, 2012.
3.3 Ideology versus multilingualism in South Africa: should National Legislation be published in all official languages? 2015.
4. See website: www.lourensprokureurs.com for full particulars.
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