This Nigerian student speaks 11 South African languages
The student who has been living in South Africa for 17 years said she was born in Ibadan, Oyo state.
Akinsola speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria explained how she learnt isiZulu, Setswana, Ndebele, Isixhosa, Sesotho, Tsonga/Xangani, Afrikaans, English, Sepedi, Venda and Swati.
She said, “in 2002, my parents moved to Botswana. There, we stayed in locations known locally as Metsimotlhabe in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana.
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“We were the only Nigerians there and most locals could not speak English. We used hands gesture to interact and communicate. As a child then, I started speaking Setswana, the Botswana language.”
Leaving Nigeria for South Africa in February 2010 marked the turning point in her ability to speak the languages
“I had just finished secondary school then. My family stayed in Soweto and the popular language was Zulu. In the shops, barbers shop, markets, churches and taxi drivers, everybody spoke the Zulu language.
“As I started school there, it took me one year and a few months to learn and speak the 11 languages in South Africa. I can also speak and write the Yoruba language fluently.”
Her fluency in speaking the languages, however, earned her the role of an interpreter in her Church in South Africa.
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