You Gave Me a Language, I Turned It Into a Weapon

What does it mean to master a language that once mastered your people?

Photo by Shaquiel McKenzie on Unsplash

Sema kila mtu! Leo, tunazungumzia lugha yetu nzuri…

In an alternate reality, this is my standard introduction—a greeting in the words of my ancestors.

Pull up the comment section, and you find hundreds of people from around the world responding in the same language. And it’s completely normal.

In this reality, 1.5 billion people on Earth speak this language, including you.

But, imagine knowing it’s not truly yours.

I speak English. Confidently and effortlessly.

Fluently enough to open doors and soften suspicion. Articulate enough to earn some occasional small talk in the office lunchroom.

But that fluency isn’t a gift; it’s a survival mechanism disguised as opportunity.

I grew up unaware that my chances of success in this world came with terms and conditions, and one of them dictated what languages I’m allowed to speak.

I didn’t choose to learn English. There was never a choice. It had infiltrated all domains of our East African society, from schools and pulpits to policy and power.