CONTENTS

 

From the 14th to the 16th of March, 2005, an experts’ meeting initiated by UNESCO and the African Academy of Languages was held in Bamako in view to preparing a conference on “the national cultural policies and the role of cross border languages in West Africa”. Experts from the following institutions and departments attended this meeting:

• The Observatory of Cultural Policies in Africa (OPCA), Mozambique;
• The Centre for Linguistic and Historical Studies through Oral Traditions (CELTHO), Niger;
• The International Centre for Bantu Civilizations (CICIBA), Gabon;
• The African Academy of Languages (ACALAN), Mali;
• The Ministry of Culture, Mali;
• The Ministry of Communication and New Technologies, Mali;
• Abdoulaye Barry Institute of Languages, Mali;
• The Malian National Commission for UNESCO, Mali;
• UNESCO Multi-country office, Bamako

Mr Augustin GATERA from the Centre of Languages and African Cultures Studies, (Rwanda), a former UNESCO civil servant, was present too.

This meeting was part of the policy of the development of African languages which are already promoted by their everyday use, making them real working languages and vehicles of cultural and socio-economical exchanges between communities, in view to contributing to strengthen the African Union.

Faced with problems raised by the management of the African language landscape, experts carried out a rational analysis of the language situation in sub-Saharan Africa which in their point of view is characterized in each country by the existence of at least three types of languages:

• Cross border language;
• Lesser used languages;
• Inherited languages from colonization, which have the status of official languages.

In order to define better all these realities and get out of them elements which are useful in working out policies and national and regional language development plans, experts proposed to hold a series of conferences initiated by ACALAN in the various regions of Africa on the theme: ‘National Policies: THE ROLE OF CROSS BORDER LANGUAGES AND THE STATUS OF LESSER USED LANGUGES’

Following on from this meeting in the 33rd session of UNESCO General Assembly, the Republic of Benin, solicited by ACALAN, submitted a draft Resolution aiming at adopting the amendments of the draft program and budget for FY 2006-2007. This project supported by Mali, Namibia, Island and Tanzania was adopted by UNESCO General Conference.

According to the terms of this draft resolution, UNESCO General Conference invited the General Director to co-organize with the African Academy of Languages five conferences in Africa, “considering the importance, the role and the contribution of African languages in family and school education in general and in particular in the promotion of literate environment, of democracy and good governance, being delighted about the innovative experiences in the use of African languages in education in general………. and considering the necessity for supporting and making operational the national and sub-regional policies and strategies aiming at strengthening and developing national languages and in particular cross border languages and lesser used languages”.

It is within this context that the African Academy of Languages, which is responsible for the coordination and monitoring of these conferences, has decided to organize them in the various regions of Africa in cooperation with UNESCO and the host country and in partnership with various institutions.

It should be reminded that the main objectives set for these conferences are:

• to carry out a situational analysis of  the use of national languages in all domains of life;
• to develop arguments for :
• promoting national, regional and continental integration;
• developing and promoting linguistic research and production programs;
• promoting cultural and linguistic diversity as a factor of  national,  regional and continental integration;
• to invite decision makers to :
• share experiences of introducing national languages into  educational systems  with a view of harmonizing them;
• support the creation of language promotion tools;
• identify, support and coordinate language promotion networks .
• to contribute to establish ACALAN’s working structures.

 The present note analyses and synthesizes these various points and it includes:

• An introductory reminder of the context;
• The situational analysis of the use of national languages in Africa;
• Problems related to cross border languages and  lesser used languages in … Africa, an attempt of typology about current situations and practices;
•  The challenges that result from the coexistence of cross border and lesser used languages in the perspective of national and regional integration: plurilingualism, the management of institutional and legal problems;
• The identification of strategic domains of  promotion and the creation of language promotion tools;
• The development of research;
• The language committees as working structures;
• The role of institutions of cooperation;
• Conferences sub-themes proposals;

(10) The Conference global plan including a draft schedule of activities, the profiles of the
             participants, the countries and organizations to be invited.

 

1-

The reflection consists of highlighting the main trends of linguistic policies, that is to say, the overall national choices in terms of language in force in the main countries, namely those related to language instrumentation, to re-examine the situation of cross border and lesser used languages, to identify the perspectives and priorities to translate into operational programmes within the context of development, economic integration, the African Union and globalization. It also aims at determining the sub-used linguistic potentialities with a view to a collective action in favour of these languages; either they are lesser or wider used languages. Finally, after suggesting the necessary political strategic choices, it emphasizes the necessity to organize research from common and adapted objectives and instruments of description and to finalize the terms and conditions for regional and continental integration on the present and  future role of cross border languages as well as the status to be given to the lesser used languages.

 

2-  Situational analysis of the use of the national languages in Africa.

Before dealing with this part, it would be necessary to define the concepts of ‘national 
languages’,  ‘cross border languages’,  ‘lesser used languages’. These concepts have been in use since the early years of the independence of most African countries. The concept of ‘national language’ covers, either intentionally or unintentionally, a certain vagueness, as noted by many Africanists. In some countries, national languages are put in the same category as indigenous language as opposed to official language, generally the European language inherited from the colonization. On the other hand, in some countries the term ‘national language’ corresponds to a status which is not granted to all the languages spoken throughout the national territory but only to those which fulfil some “important” functions such as literacy and the use in the educational system, in commerce etc. In any case, the quality of ‘national’ attributed to a language expresses the will of the political decision makers to promote this language, and to recognize its function of vehicular language having a potential for development  and the use in the economic, social and cultural life. Within the context of this present reflection, we mean by national languages, the African languages spoken by different linguistic communities of the country, except the language inherited from colonization.

We mean by ‘cross border languages’, the languages spoken by the populations whose traditional geographic areas have been divided into one or several frontiers.

Finally, the languages called ‘minority languages’ or ‘lesser used languages’ refer to the languages that are spoken by linguistic communities which are demographically less important within the various countries.

In the last forty years, national languages were subject to many meetings which made possible the elaboration and adoption of many international instruments. Among the ones initiated by the States and the international organizations, we note among others:

1. UNESCO meeting on the use of vernacular languages in the school system (monograph on basic education) Paris,1953;
2. UNESCO regional conference on the planning and organization of literacy programme in Africa. Abidjan, March 1964;
3. The Congress of the African Society of Linguistics. SLAO, 1965
4. Experts’ meeting organized by UNESCO for the standardization of national languages alphabets: Fulfulde, Hausa, Kanusi, Mandingue, Songhay-Zerma, and Tamasheq. Bamako, from the 28th  February to the 05th  March, 1966;
5. Intergovernmental conference on cultural policies in Africa (UNESCO-OAU), Accra-1975;
6. The meeting organized by the Cultural and Technical Cooperation agency on the promotion of national languages. Yaoundé, 1975  
7. ACCT international conference on ‘linguistic research, employment and the teaching of languages in Africa: ways of strengthening cooperation between States.’, Yaoundé, 1983
8. UNESCO meeting on the strategies of promoting African languages. -Conakry , 1984
9. UNESCO experts’ meeting on the promotion of languages as instruments of culture and permanent education. Yaoundé,
10. Accra meeting on Action Charter Project for the promotion and use of African languages in education, August 1996;
11. Intergovernmental conference on linguistic policies in Africa (UNESCO-OAU-ACCT), Harare-1997;
12. The African consultation on the creation of the African Academy of languages. Bamako, from the 25th  to 27th  May, 2001;
13. Bamako conference on multilingualism in the Cyberspace, May 2005;
14. UNESCO 33rd Session General Conference held in Paris in October, 2005 which adopted the draft resolution initiated by ACALAN and presented by the Republic of Benin and related to the Organization of five regional conferences on cross border languages of lesser used languages in Africa.

Several important meetings have permitted the elaboration of normative instruments and regulatory texts such as:

1. the OAU Charter-1963;
2. the Pan African Cultural Manifest of Algiers, 1969;
3. the Results of the first conference of OAU African Ministers of Culture, Port-Louis, 1986;
4. the OAU Lagos Action Plan for the economic development of Africa, 1980;
5. the Linguistic Action Plan for Africa, Addis Ababa , 21st - 25th July, 1986;
6. the OAU ten year- plan on languages and oral traditions. 1987;
7. the Abuja treaty creating the African economic community. 1991;
8. the Regional plan for collecting oral traditions in southern Africa. Harare, 1993;
9. the Linguistic development plan in French speaking area. 1990-2000, (ACCT 1993);
10. the Programme of Action for the Decade of Education in Africa, Harare, 1999;
11. the Treaty creating the African Union, Lomé, 2000;
12. the Resolution of the 31st session of the UNESCO general conference on African Academy of Languages, 2001;
13. The 37th summit CM/Dec. 613 (LXXIV) decision of the OAU  heads of States and governments creating the African Academy of Languages, July, 2001;
14. The Universal declaration on cultural diversity adopted by the 31st session UNESCO general conference, 2001;
15. The Recommendations on the promotion and the use of multilingualism and universal access to cyberspace adopted  by the 32nd UNESCO general conference, October, 2003;
16. The funding texts of World Summit on the Information Society (Geneva 2003 and Tunis 2005);
17. The AU/Dec. 92 (VI) decision of the 6th ordinary session of the African Union conference related to a second decade of education for Africa (2006-2015) and to the second decade action framework (Doc. Ex. CL/224-VIII- Rev. 2), Khartoum 2006;
18. The AU/Dec. 94 (VI) decision of the 6th ordinary session of the African Union  conference, Khartoum 2006;
19. The AU/Dec. 96 (VI) of the 6th ordinary session of the African Union  conference on the relation between  culture and education , Khartoum, 2006;
20. The AU/Dec. 98 (VI) of the 6th ordinary session of the African Union conference related to the 2006 proclamation as the Year of African Languages. Khartoum, 2006;

Institutions were created among others:

1. The African Cultural Institute ((ICA). Dakar, Senegal;
2. CELTHO (Centre for Language and Historical Studies through Oral tradition), Niamey- Niger;
3. CERDOTOLA (Regional Centre for Research and Documentation of Oral Tradition and for the Development of African Languages. Yaoundé, Cameroon;
4. EACROTANAL (East African Centre of Research on Oral Traditional and National Languages), Zanzibar, Tanzania;
5. CICIBA (International Centre of Bantu Civilisations), Libreville, Gabon;
6. BASE (ABES/African Bureau for Educational Sciences) which is now IPED (Pan African Institute for Development Education), Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

It should be admitted that most of these institutions performed below expectations. The situational analysis of the existing normative instruments and the reports from the various meetings held during this period, show that all the West African countries have, from one time to another at varying degrees, taken initiatives aiming at promoting national languages. The conference will be for the delegates an opportunity to talk about the situation in their countries, their experiences and perspectives. 

3. Problems of Cross border and lesser used languages in … Africa, an attempt of a typology of the situation and current practices. 

In his introduction to a book to a collective work published under his supervision in 1977 by “les Editions Nubia” and called “languages and language policies in Africa: UNESCO experience”, Alfa Ibrahim Sow stated that “at the present stage of their development, the African societies are multilingual and we have good reason to believe that this situation will last for long. Then, at the level of each State it is important to define the main orientations of a governmental action that guarantees the respect, the dignity and the promotion of languages and cultures of all the communities”.

During the last three decades, it has been noted that a great number of African countries  have been following, to a large extent, this line of conduct which is, in conformity with the principles  of the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights. According to these principles ‘all language communities have equal rights regardless the legal or political status of their language either they are official or, regional or lesser used’ (art.5) and “all the linguistic communities have the right to guarantee the use of their language in every social function” (Art 8)

The conference, after precising the notions of vehicular language, cross border languages and lesser used languages will also have to take into accounts some essential characteristics of the linguistic map of the concerned region ’:

1. There are cross border vehicular languages in … Africa, that is to say, languages which are spoken beyond their communities of origin and the States’ administrative frontiers.
2. A non vehicular language can be a cross border one. This situation, as well as others, results from the colonization which, in many places, has imposed territorial boundaries, dividing up some language communities.
3. On the contrary, a widely-used vehicular language, in a country, may not be a cross border language. In this scenario, which policy is to be adopted with this language at regional level?
4. A language may have a limited vehicularity and still be considered as a language of integration because of its number of speakers and the countries where it is spoken (the case of Fulfuldé).

 

All the African countries are multilingual. In addition to the languages inherited from colonization these countries have some languages in common, which represent for the populations the main important vehicles of inter-States communication. These languages which spread for diverse reasons, beyond their original area are used even by the populations having a different mother tongue. Without having the privilege of official languages, they coexist with these latters.

Everywhere in fact, French, English, Portuguese and Spanish have the privileged status of exclusive official languages. Although spoken by a minority, they are perceived at the level of representations as the language of power, administration, science, instruction, economics and exchange with the outside world. In some countries, these languages tend to become common languages in towns. What is the dynamics of existing languages?. What actions should be undertaken for an adequate balancing of the languages status in the perspective of an endogenous development?

A presentation of the language situation in each country should, in the beginning of the conference, give the possibility to make available the essential data permitting a better identification of the languages, their importance and their functions

Formulating a language policy focussed on development and on languages as a factor of regional integration is not an end in itself. Even, the issue has to be raised in terms of concrete actions that are achievable and measurable in an appropriate context and with financial means in conformity with the assigned objectives.

For this purpose, the Statutes of ACALAN that have been adopted by the African Union’s Summit in Khartoum make provision for the working structures of the national institutions of languages and of the cross border vehicular language commissions.

How to take advantage of this conference in order to create conditions of setting up the African Academy of Languages’ working structures in the region.?

The conference would therefore be invited to engage in a more precise thorough reflection on the organization and missions of this working structure that would aim at sharing knowledge and experiences and achieving economies of scale by taking advantage of regional cooperation and opportunities offered today by the new information and communication technologies, the Internet included.

The conference should also think of the means to mobilize on one hand for national capacities building in the application of the new national linguistic policies, and on the other hand for the realisation of the regional dimension of the programmes.

7. Development and research.

In general in Africa, the weaknesses of the research on languages are to be found at four levels:

1. the insufficiency of high level researchers;
2. the lack of coordination  in research both at national and regional levels;
3. the pertinence fields of study;
4. the insufficiency of the means allocated to research.
5.  

  a) The insufficiency of high level researchers: it partly explains many countries’ being late in decision making in connexion with national languages. For several years, a regression in language research has been taking place in the region due to a notorious lack of well trained researchers. Many institutions are almost producing no results because of the lack of competences and means. Some institutions could have served both as places of research, and observatories on language dynamic, and their roles and functions in the society. These are so many factors which facilitate decision support. The reinforcement of human resources is a major challenge that should be taken up by most African countries in setting up sound training courses of specialists responsible for designing, implementing and evaluating research programmes in the benefice of their languages.

b) There are countries which have research institutions and laboratories on African languages, generally located within universities. In the past, these structures made quality production. Now, we notice a dispersion of efforts and the crumbling of research projects the effects of which are noticeable at quality level and in the number of works undertaken. At national or regional level, the coordination between institutions around a programme of shared research is necessary to reach significant results. Today, it is not usual to find in Africa a regional institution working for a real coordination of linguistic research. It is therefore essential to develop a common approach of the relationship between languages.

c) The promotion of national languages goes along with the development of research which should cover priority fields such as language mapping, linguistics, terminology, lexicography and the systematic description of languages;
 

1. Language mapping: it enables to have an overall view of the language situation in the region. It would be question of making available to the States an atlas of the language each State and of the cross border vehicular languages in the region, that is to  say a mapping tool showing the languages situation, their importance, the countries in which they are spoken and their geographical limit. This same exercise can be done for lesser used languages.
   
2.  Terminology: the corpus description of a language begins with a preliminary finalization of a scientific and technical terminology in this language. In the absence of this meta-language, the researcher is bound to use that of another language. This process inevitably leads to the devaluation and marginalization of the African language. A terminological cooperation between … African researchers working on the same language would contribute to give a new impulsion to language research.
   
3.  Lexicography:   it is an essential field for the promotion of national languages. The formulation of common projects gathering all the specialists in cross border vehicular languages would permit to harmonize the methodology, to  make progress, in common, the scientific and technical neology and to produce together specialized lexis in strategic domains of economical and social development such as agriculture, health, education, commerce, computer science. It is the same for monolingual dictionaries in this language. A vast programme of translation, printing, publishing and distribution of the basic texts in various countries in the region in the major African cross border languages would certainly give an impulse to these languages.
   
4. Systematic description of languages: the elaboration of common tools of analysis, the conjugation of the various countries’ resources and competencies should enable to make available, unvaryingly for the same language, basic information such as grammar and vocabulary. It could the same for the writing system and the orthography of this language which would be the same in all the countries according to a UNESCO proposed principle more than thirty years ago. In conformity with this principle, “the same language can have only one orthography and, this, without taking into consideration political frontiers”.
   

(d) The insufficiency of the means allocated to the research

In Africa, research in general and the language research in particular, seriously suffer from the lack of the human resources and of financial means. This lack partly explains   the difficulties that countries face in promoting their languages.
 The institutions that are well equipped with quality equipments and which have high level researchers are very rare. Here, it is certainly about a deficiency which should be immediately corrected if we would like the national languages to be development languages.

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11- Participants

This conference will be attended by the delegates from the region, by special guests who have been invited with respect to their knowledge of African languages and by the representatives of the international organizations interested in languages issues. This meeting will bring together participants grouped as follows:

1. Participants:  (2 per country:)

1. Moderators: (3)

1. Special guests: a few experts different from those selected by the countries

4. Representatives from Governmental and non governmental Organizations: () to be  identified depending on the region.
                                                                  1
5. National institutions and NGO contributing to the promotion of national languages in Mali: to be identified ()

6. The organization Committee ()

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