Don't insist on English!

Long time English teacher, Patricia Ryan asks a provokative question. You can guess what it's about from the title.

About Ngugi's article

Ngugi’s article kept reminded me of Korean history.

Korea had been colonized by Japan from the late 19th century to the end of World War Ⅱ. For more than half century, Japan had exploited Koreans, tried to eliminate Korean tradition and culture, and assimilated Koreans to Japanese. The most effective way to do so was to annihilate the Korean language. Children had to speak Japanese at school, as Kenyan children must use English at school. Achievement in spoken or written Japanese was ‘a ticket to higher realms’ and people who studied in Japan were considered modernists and intelligentsia.

Since the independence, Korean got less influenced by Japanese, unlike Kenya still get influenced by English. Japanese hasn’t been in the official or dominant status in Korea although we could find Japanese trace left in some dialects. Korean government tried to clear out all about Japan. Japanese pop culture had been banned to import until 2000.

When Japanese were suppressing Korea with the sword and the bullet, European and American fascinated Korean with the religion which focused on love and equality, with new scientific and medical technology, and with humanism and the modern education. Westerners were helpers and martyrs. When Korean War broke out, they helped Korea again. They were friendly nations on the side of Korea. While Korean has appreciated for their salvation, Western culture took the lead in Korean society.

The Koreans are living in a neo-colonized society without awareness.