Cultural Survival fights back: Communication rights in practice

The purpose of the hearing was to gain recognition for a key principle of communication rights: that people should be allowed to use their own language. Five ‘judges’, experts in language and communication rights, heard five cases where linguistic rights were under threat. They were Kwéyól (St Lucia); Kurdish (Turkey); Sign languages (global); Bilingual education (U.S.A.) and Berber (North Africa).

On the basis of the evidence presented, the judges concluded that there are serious, generalized and systematic violations of linguistic rights around the world. They also underlined that respect for linguistic rights is a cornerstone of human rights protection, tolerance and conflict prevention.

Fast forward to 2007 to where Cultural Survival, the U.S.-based international organization promoting the rights, voices and visions of indigenous peoples, has launched a campaign to save critically endangered Native American languages.

In the words of Ellen L. Lutz, Executive Director of Cultural Survival, ‘Research shows that language revitalization is a key empowerment tool for Native American communities. Language learning confers cognitive advantages, enhances self-esteem and cultural well-being, and strengthens community bonds.’

The campaign aims to raise national awareness about what is at stake in ways that result in an increase in the number of foundations, individuals, tribal casinos, tribal governments, corporations and other donors to give financial support to the revitalization efforts of tribal communities.

Cultural Survival is also contributing to the efforts of Native American organizations and tribes working to address language revival through policy change, legislation, regional training centres, teacher certification programmes, and other strategies.

Language is such an integral part of communication that we take it for granted. Yet, language is, and always has been, about power relations. Governments enforce the teaching of national languages for reasons of political and economic advantage and of social and cultural cohesion. Colonialists enforce the teaching of their national language for reasons of domination and ‘enculturation’.

Economic globalization and modern technologies have also played a role. Since the mid-20th century, radio, television, cinema, computer technologies and the Internet have served to expand and reinforce the domination and influence of English worldwide. Such cultural imperialism is much more subtle than economic imperialism, which is itself less tangible and visible than the excesses of political and military imperialism.

It would be wrong to say that world domination of English is something deliberately organized and supported by the U.S.A. and Great Britain, hand in glove with political initiatives or the penetration of the world economy by their transnational firms. And yet, language murder, or ‘linguicide’, whether carried out intentionally or not, is one of the basic tools of ethnocide. The ‘deculturation’ of peoples has always been perpetrated by colonization and is still the semi-official aim of governments that do not recognize the rights of native ethnic minorities.

Hence the importance of Cultural Survival’s campaign. Hence the urgency of understanding and implementing communication rights.

Source: Cultural Survival Quarterly, Vol. 31 Issue 2.

Philip Lee. Deputy-Director of Programmes, WACC.