The Cape Town Museum of Childhood (CTMoC), in Rondebosch, and Khoe language activist Denver Breda celebrated International Mother Language Day by introducing the Khoe language to children at Rainbow Educare Centre in Vrygrond last Tuesday, February 18.
International Mother Language Day has been celebrated for the past 20 years on February 21 to raise awareness of language, cultural diversity and multilingualism.
Mr Breda, from Lavender Hill, read his own story called Xamma The Little Water Boy to the Grade R and pre-grade R pupils at the educare centre.
He taught the children words such as “xamma” which means water and “xnau” which means listen.
Mr Breda’s story included numbers and the children are now able to count from one to six in the Khoe language.
CTMoC programme manager, Chanel Fredericks said it was important to celebrate the different mother tongue languages of children in South Africa.
“South Africa’s history denied people from embracing their mother tongue languages and as a museum we want to reconnect people with their history and identity, of which their mother tongue plays a significant role,” she said.
