The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Right of Access to Information Conundrums in Zimbabwe

The end of year 2019 saw the outbreak of a global pandemic, COVID-19 which is caused by the deadly and novel coronavirus. Zimbabwe was second in Southern Africa to declare a national lockdown and adopted measures such as surveillance, testing and contact tracing to fight and contain the virus. Efforts to fight and contain the pandemic globally led to intensified efforts of information dissemination in various languages and forms of communication. Against this background, this article examines the right of access to information conundrums during the COVID-19 pandemic with particular reference to ethnic minority language speakers, the visually impaired, the Deaf and hard of hearing in Zimbabwe. Data from document analysis of the statutory instruments regulating access to information, language rights and the right to healthcare, observations of the actual practice in as far as information dissemination on the pandemic was concerned and semi-structured interviews with purposively sampled participants showed that in Zimbabwe, the right of access to critical information on the pandemic was not evenly enjoyed, a problem which had a bearing on the right to healthcare and language rights. Some sections of the Zimbabwean society, especially ethnic minority language speakers and persons with disabilities endured information blackouts due to lack of access to information on the pandemic in the languages that they understand and in forms of communication suitable for persons with disabilities. These findings point to the dire need of an explicit information dissemination language policy which takes into account the language preferences of the people affected by governmental communication or measures.

Language Politics

This chapter discusses linguistic practice, governance, and power. Topics covered include rights and freedoms, law and policy, research evaluation and gendered pronouns. Chapter contents: 6.0 Introduction (by Séagh Kehoe) 6.1 China’s Minority Language Rights: No Bulwark Against Upcoming Change (by Alexandra Grey) 6.2 Linguistic Hierarchies and Mandarin Promulgation: An Excerpt from Dialect and Nationalism in China, 1860–1960 (by Gina Anne Tam) 6.3 The Hidden Language Policy of China’s Research Evaluation Reform (by Race MoChridhe) 6.4 War of Words and Gender: Pronominal Feuds of the Republican Period and the Early PRC (by Coraline Jortay)

Subtitling and the promotion of multilingualism: the case of marginalised languages in South Africa

This article investigates the role that subtitling may play in the promotion of multilingualism in South Africa. After a reflection on the current language-political situation in the country, in particular as it pertains to the public broadcaster, the findings of a pilot study focusing on the role of subtitling in promoting multilingualism and language rights in South Africa are presented. The research involves aspects such as language status, attitudes and acquisition, focusing on two of the more marginalised languages in the country, namely Tshivenda and Xitsonga. It also touches on the impact of subtitling on comprehension.

Reflecting on the Official Languages Act at 50: Was the Advent of the Charter so Great After All?

This piece examines more closely the relationship between the OLA and the Charter, arguing that the relationship between the two rights instruments is much more fraught than commonly believed. The advent of the Charter and its entrenchment of language rights have always been seen as unquestionably positive for the OLA. However, it may be time to re-evaluate that belief. Using the concept of “constitutional displacement,” the article suggests that the Charter also had the effect of overshadowing the OLA, which limits its potential for reform. A similar fate befell other statutes, such as the Canadian Bill of Rights. By way of contrast, the OLA is compared to the Inuit Language Protection Act (ILPA) in Nunavut to suggest that the latter enjoys a higher profile in the territory and has more potential for expansion precisely because of the lack of clearly defined, entrenched Indigenous language rights in the constitution.

Historia i sytuacja języka łemkowskiego w ostatnim stuleciu

The aim of this paper is to briefl y present the situation of the Lemko language from the historical perspective covering one hundred years of its development. The creation of Lemkos’ linguistic awareness and identity before their displacements (1945–1947) has been clearly refl ected in literature. It provides the foundation for reconstructing the main emancipatory identity line developed based on “our language”, equivalent to the local speech, followed by the Lemko intelligentsia, while confronting the social and political considerations of their native area. A drastic effect of the considerations was displacements, destruction of culture, and lack of conditions for fostering language. The recovery of language rights after 1989 has initiated a range of internal revitalisation processes and strategies supported also institutionally. They are, however, not able to stop the mass destructive processes resulting in the Lemko language being currently among the endangered ones