Indigenous communities around the world are working towards raising awareness of their languages, cultures and traditions, with help from technology and passionate individuals.
New technology and social media enable indigenous communities to use modern tools in documenting and sharing their stories, in their own languages. South African publisher Nkemiseng Molefe is doing her bit to preserve local heritage by publishing books in indigenous languages.
The United Nations has declared 21 February International Mother Language Day, to promote awareness of diverse languages and cultures. The date was chosen because it is also the anniversary of the day on which the people of Bengal fought for recognition for the Bangla language in India. Clearly, expressing one’s heritage and having the right to speak your own language is not enjoyed by everyone.
PUBLISHING CHOSE HER
Nkemiseng Molefe is trying to ensure that people who speak South African indigenous languages have books in their mother tongues. She founded Pelmo Publishers in 2012 when she was 25 years old. Since then, her company has published 65 books and works with local authors who have interesting stories to tell.
Nkemiseng, who was born in KwaDabeka in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, first got a taste of publishing from her father. ‘My dad is an author and he was a lecturer, so there are piles of manuscripts at home,’ she says. ‘When I was younger, he wrote a manual for his university students that mom, dad and I put together. We printed with a small home printer, stapled and then cut with a small hand guillotine.’ They put the books in a box and headed off to the university parking lot the next day. ‘The books were sold out in minutes and I remember the same box being filled with cash. This was a proud moment for the three of us.’
Two decades later, her father asked her to help him with producing his books. ‘I gladly helped and orders were flowing in and I found myself really busy with what I called “this book thing”. Soon there were more orders and submissions and I was too busy for anything else,’ she says. ‘I then started accepting manuscripts from those who found out my dad was now published by his daughter. Now I’m stuck with publishing and I wouldn’t have it any other way!’
INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS
Molefe now runs her publishing company from Pretoria. It comes with its challenges and triumphs, she says. ‘In every business there are major and minor challenges, and also big and small triumphs. Some of the challenges in my publishing journey have been in creating a market of mother-tongue readers.
She realised that not many people enjoy reading in their home languages. But she says interest and readership is growing. ‘The triumphs have been great ones,’ she says. ‘We’ve secured international rights to translate and publish Alice in Wonderland in isiZulu – U-Alice Ezweni Lezimanga. We also have an isiZulu book in the national catalogue, approved by the Department of Education for all Grade 10 home-languages learners. ‘Another exciting project was producing a colouring-in book in isiZulu and English, based on a novel called Isizwe Esisha (Rooster for President in English). The fact that there was such interest in Pelmo Publishers from an international publisher, coupled with all the parents who want their children to know their home languages, shows that she is on the right path. ‘There’s an interest in what I do, which is promoting our indigenous languages with the aim of preserving them,’ she says.
DREAMS TO REALITY
Covid-19 has been another challenge – as it’s been globally for so many others – but Pelmo Publishers learnt to innovate to stay relevant. ‘It gave us a chance to work on online material that we’ll be introducing soon,’ says Molefe. ‘There are many more stories to be told. The pride in our cultures and languages is growing stronger, which makes what we do even more relevant.’ She says she loves the ‘sense of knowing that I am producing something that people will use, keep, pass on and most of all, value.’ Besides seeing a child’s excitement when they get a book as a gift, ‘it’s also about making someone’s dream come true by publishing their work.’ Long may her work continue.
Two decades later, her father asked her to help him with producing his books. ‘I gladly helped and orders were flowing in and I found myself really busy with what I called “this book thing”. Soon there were more orders and submissions and I was too busy for anything else,’ she says. ‘I then started accepting manuscripts from those who found out my dad was now published by his daughter. Now I’m stuck with publishing and I wouldn’t have it any other way!’
INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS
Molefe now runs her publishing company from Pretoria. It comes with its challenges and triumphs, she says. ‘In every business there are major and minor challenges, and also big and small triumphs. Some of the challenges in my publishing journey have been in creating a market of mother-tongue readers.
She realised that not many people enjoy reading in their home languages. But she says interest and readership is growing. ‘The triumphs have been great ones,’ she says. ‘We’ve secured international rights to translate and publish Alice in Wonderland in isiZulu – U-Alice Ezweni Lezimanga. We also have an isiZulu book in the national catalogue, approved by the Department of Education for all Grade 10 home-languages learners. ‘Another exciting project was producing a colouring-in book in isiZulu and English, based on a novel called Isizwe Esisha (Rooster for President in English). The fact that there was such interest in Pelmo Publishers from an international publisher, coupled with all the parents who want their children to know their home languages, shows that she is on the right path. ‘There’s an interest in what I do, which is promoting our indigenous languages with the aim of preserving them,’ she says.
DREAMS TO REALITY
Covid-19 has been another challenge – as it’s been globally for so many others – but Pelmo Publishers learnt to innovate to stay relevant. ‘It gave us a chance to work on online material that we’ll be introducing soon,’ says Molefe. ‘There are many more stories to be told. The pride in our cultures and languages is growing stronger, which makes what we do even more relevant.’ She says she loves the ‘sense of knowing that I am producing something that people will use, keep, pass on and most of all, value.’ Besides seeing a child’s excitement when they get a book as a gift, ‘it’s also about making someone’s dream come true by publishing their work.’ Long may her work continue.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO READ IN YOUR MOTHER TONGUE?
Reviewed by Michelle Pienaar
on
February 15, 2021
Rating:
Reviewed by Michelle Pienaar
on
February 15, 2021
Rating:
