Necessity of Translating the Ghana National Anthem into Indigenous Languages

Timothy Mensah; Bright Essel; George Sam; Samuel Kwame Afful; Dennis Amakye Okyere

doi:10.55544/ijrah.3.2.18

Authors

Timothy Mensah Department of Social Science Education, KIBI Presbyterian College of Education, Kibi, GHANA.
Bright Essel Department of Social Science Education, Komenda College of Education, GHANA.
George Sam Department of Creative Arts Education, Presbyterian College of Education, Akropong, GHANA.
Samuel Kwame Afful Department of Social Science Education, KIBI Presbyterian College of Education, Kibi, GHANA.
Dennis Amakye Okyere Department of Creative Arts Education, Presbyterian College of Education, Akropong, GHANA.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55544/ijrah.3.2.18

Keywords:

Indigenous languages, National anthem, Translation, Cultural identity, Language preservation, Linguistic diversity, Social inclusion, Cultural heritage, Language revitalization, Discrimination

Abstract

National anthems are an integral part of every country's identity and heritage. The national anthem represents a country's culture, history, and traditions. However, in many countries, the official anthem is only available in one language, usually the dominant language spoken by most of the population. This exclusionary approach denies linguistic diversity and undermines the cultural rights of minority groups, particularly indigenous communities who are illiterates. In this research paper, we argue that it is necessary to translate the Ghana national anthem into indigenous languages to promote linguistic and cultural diversity, preserve cultural heritage, and promote social inclusion as well as give fundamental human right to language to those Ghanaians who are not able to read and write in the English language. The paper examines case studies of countries that have already taken steps in this direction and evaluate the impact of translating the official anthem into indigenous languages.

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References

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Here are additional references on the topic of translating the official anthem into indigenous languages:

Cochrane, D. T. (2016). The impact of translating the New Zealand national anthem into te reo Māori. Journal of New Zealand Studies, 22, 71-86.

Freeman, M., & Nikora, L. W. (2014). The translation of the New Zealand national anthem into te reo Māori: A focus group study. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 43(2), 41-46.

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Tapia, M. (2019). Translating the national anthem in indigenous languages: A case study of the Mapudungun version of the Chilean anthem. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 40(3), 229-243.

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