Nando’s wants you to respect your mother tongue

A number of South African state schools using English as their medium of instruction, are reportedly considering scrapping their syllabi in African languages such as Xhosa and Zulu.

All pupils in South African state schools are required to learn two language. The proposed move would force pupils in such schools, no matter what their background, to study Afrikaans as their second language.

This is a particularly controversial idea given the country’s past experiences with language in schools. The forced use of Afrikaans in Township schools helped spark off the infamous 16 June 1976 protests, during which police fired on school children in the streets of Soweto, Johannesburg.

Fast food outlet Nando’s has responded to the proposed idea with a digital campaign it calls #VernacChicken.

At forefront of the campaign is a poster written in isiZulu.

For those who don’t speak the language, the headline reads “Respect your (mother) tongue”, while the body reads “Give it a taste of our delicious Peri-Peri, flame-grilled chicken”.