A bilingual (Bemba/English) teaching resource: Realising agency from below through teaching materials designed to challenge the hegemony of English

This article explores the hegemony of English in post-independence southern Africa with the focus falling on Zambia. It argues that Zambia's language-in-education policy marginalises indigenous languages and cultures but reminds teachers that they have agency to implement initiatives to downplay the dominance of English. One means is to advocate bi/multilingualism in language teaching because such an approach is inherently inclusive. A bilingual (Bemba/English) teaching resource for English literature classes at Grade 10 level was developed from Zambian National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) recordings and original narratives. The process involved recording, transcription and translation. Teachers' and learners' manuals were developed and trialled. Focus group discussions indicate that participants responded positively to the resource; felt that it valued indigenous languages; affirmed their cultural identities; promoted an understanding of literary concepts; and challenged the monolingual paradigm/model. The results indicate the potential of bilingual teaching materials to re-introduce local languages and cultures in teaching contexts where English has hegemonic power.