MUNCIE, Ind. — Dr. Emmanuel Sithole, a scholar from Zimbabwe, visited Ball State’s Rinker Center to discuss the oppressive Rapabugabi regime in Zimbabwe and its negative impacts on language and education.
Sithole creates a visual presentation to spread knowledge on the issue and how language plays a pivotal role in gaining a higher education.
“There is a huge intellectual gap that is open, I’m coming in to fill that gap to say to the world you know we have ndau people who are studying,” Sithole stated.
During the event, Sithole created a safe space for the audience to ask questions and gain better knowledge. With his message about how an individual and a country’s identity can be claimed or reclaimed through language.
“We need to have a way of including them so they can also succeed and do better just like others,” Sithole said.
He also explained reasons why preserving native languages, politics, and cultural identity in minority groups is essential in the fight against oppression. Sithole dives deep into the indigenous Ndau resistance to Robert Mugabe’s Shona Hegemony in Zimbabwe.
“I learned six languages before coming across English so in a classroom I am expected to compete and maybe do even better than my peers,” Sithole states.
Sithole’s dream is to become a professor who empowers students to embrace their heritage and rebuild confidence in who they are and where they come from.
“The country is full of people like Emmanuel Sithole and they have good ideas, and they are young, they are going to fight to make the world, not just Zimbabwe, but the world a better place.” Sithole’s host Carol Blakney said.
Sithole is looking forward to teaching the next generation about understanding their cultural roots and the importance of pride in their identity.
“I will be a professor who is inclusive in my approach and understands that we have people from diverse backgrounds that need to be catered for,” he said.
Sithole’s presentation aimed to create important conversations about culture, identity, and the need for resilience in the face of adversity.
Contact Mira Bloomer with comments at mira.bloomer@bsu.edu.
