Using English names for African wildlife is 'jarring', a BBC Springwatch presenter has claimed. Gillian Burke said she prefers to refer to animals by their traditional Swahili names rather than those commonly used in the broadcaster's acclaimed nature programmes. The 49-year-old speculated that there is an 'inequality' in 'who gets to do the naming' and we are 'unwittingly wielding some form of power by naming wild animals'.
*sighs* Oh, well. A lifetime of reading African safari novels & non-fiction has at least stood me in good stead here!
Writing in BBC Wildlife magazine, Burke said: 'The English names for East Africa's iconic wildlife - so heavily featured in natural history films and in this magazine - jar, at least to my ear.
'In my own writing I prefer re-introducing these familiar animals by their Swahili names: ndovu (elephant), twiga (giraffe), fisi (hyena) and my personal favourite, because I used to love how my dad said it, kongoni (hartebeest).'
Wait, what? Ndovu? It's Tembo, surely?
9 comments:
Well paid out of our taxes, believes we give a shit about her opinion and has 4call better to do . . .
Busu punda wangu
How dare she discuss these animals in any language other than their native Swahili, on any TV network other than Swahili TV.
Thanks to gargle translate I now know what Bucko is getting at. Thanks mate, that's made me smile.
👍
Maybe in her version of things the Tembo self-identifies as Ndovo.
Does she know what a Burke is when so-called in London? Local patois, dontcha know.
Even though she has never pursued foxes in Berkshire.
As for Gillian. That is a bit of a class giveaway. A shoo-in for the Beeb.
"Well paid out of our taxes, believes we give a shit about her opinion and has 4call better to do . . ."
The whole thing is just 'Look at me! I'm black!' isn't it?
"Busu punda wangu"
🤣
"...any language other than their native Swahili..."
I don't think lions and buffalo speak it. She's confusing herself with Bwana Doolittle.
"Maybe in her version of things the Tembo self-identifies as Ndovo.
"
Quite!
"Does she know what a Burke is when so-called in London? Local patois, dontcha know."
Heh!
Instead of calling this waste of space “Gillian Burke” I prefer to call her a talentless twat.
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