The Sunday Mail
Believe Mubonderi
Correspondent
An anchor with Nyaminyami FM, Chairman Mupfurutsa, has embarked on a mission to preserve and document the Korekore dialect.
Korekore is one of the four dialects of the ChiShona language, with approximately 1,7 million speakers.
The dialect is mostly used in the northern parts of Zimbabwe, that is Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland West provinces.
During the colonial period, missionaries were mostly involved in the documentation of indigenous African languages. While dialects like Manyika, Karanga and Zezuru were adequately documentated and standardised, this was not the case for Korekore.
Missionary efforts were subdued in the areas where the dialect is spoken because of tsetse flies.
Therefore, Mupfurutsa, an avid and proud Korekore speaker, has seen the need to preserve his native variety.
His slot on Nyaminyami FM, Sunset Cruise, is extremely popular. He refers to himself as “Mukorekore weHurungwe 100 percent” and extensively uses the variety on air.
Mupfurutsa’s efforts have drawn interest from the Catholic University of Zimbabwe’s languages department. The university is now working with Mupfurutsa to document and publicise the dialect.
His efforts also augur well with the mandate of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) which seeks to promote and preserve the heritage and culture of indigenous communities.
Preservation and documentation of languages is a process which promotes them and the very communities that use them.
As part of his efforts to document the variety, Mupfurutsa does audio clips and short stories on social media to popularise it. He argues that this is one way to preserve the dialect.
Below is an excerpt from one of his audio clips, which he did to raise awareness on the dangers of cutting down trees:
Maipiro adeita kupasaura nharaunda
Abiyangu weee ndefunga mukanangara nzvimbo dzidewanda hamuisina miti idegwereshewa isitemewa. Vamwe vanengahwa vasitema miti iyi vasitengesa huni, kupisisa ndudu, kuvakisa magadheni nezvimwe zvidesiyana-siyana. Miti inebatsira fani kuti nharaunda inangarike, inevhara timuhungwe, kukuhwa kwemadhaka (soil erosion). Inetibatsira nemweya yatefema, mumiti zvakare meburika mishonga inerapa ideita seguchu yakare yekuti ukaita focho focho weita siki guchu rikagadzihwa nevaneziya wepora. Mutsonzowa webatsira kana wanzva meno asidzimba, Muronde wekuja mubota weita kuti uchichimare miiri uye kuvhara chihumbe. Imwe michero ideita semaroro, nhunguru, matamba, chirinji, fwaufwau nehacha neimwe zvaijiwa nevakuru vedu vakudhara ndesaka musinangara vamwe vacho vakakura vadechichimara. Zvidenaka fani kujara miti pane kungoti gore rega rega muneramba musiitemaa. Vamwe vadesvikira pakunyisana vasisanyaurirana huni dzekupisisa ndudu kuhwirana miti yemusango. Mamwe makomo adeita sedzimaihwe angosara timadenhe miti idegwereshewa kuye. Ndepaye pamezenanga kukauya timuhungwe, imba dzewaranyuhwa matenga. Pamwe pacho makuti heee kamuhungwe aka ndekemuroi kwaaniko mudepasaura nharaunda. Zvengositauhwa jarei miti asi hamunzve murikungoramba musiitema miti. Ukanangara miti ideita semuvanga yasara mishoma pamwe unetenga uri pamusha chaipo musango hamuisina. Abyangu wee kune zvimwe zvipuka zverarama nemiti zvekuti mukaiparadza zvefawo.
Believe Mubonderi, Dean Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Catholic University of Zimbabwe. PhD candidate UNISA.
