Teaching the Next Generation
As of May 2024, Esau became the central educator of a N|uu learning program at a local school. “Children are learning to greet, they are learning to sing songs, they are learning names for animals and plants,” said Dr. Jones. “They’re not going to be fluent speakers and be fully monolingual in N|uu. That’s not reality, but they will be able to greet, they will be able to sing songs, they will be able to understand a basic children’s story.”
In March 2023, Esau won an honorary doctorate from the University of Cape Town for her efforts and accomplishments. “Who would have thought that a woman who never saw the inside of a school, who looked after sheep and cleaned kitchens on her hands and knees, would be here today?” said Ouma Katrina during the ceremony that unveiled the completed the N|uu dictionary, the hardcover and digital version. “Thank you, UCT, for seeing your way clear to include me – an elderly woman who never learned to read.”
