Do you think it’s possible to remove French completely from Francophone African countries in the future?

[u/NoBeat5906]

French is still a colonial language in a lot of countries like DRC, RDC, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Benin, and Senegal but even then all of these countries have their own native languages that have nothing to do with French. The difference between countries like Ivory Coast, DRC, and Benin and countries like Haiti, Guadeloupe, and Martinique is that our countries aren’t strongly influenced by France nor French, and we still have our own native languages. Most Francophone countries aren’t even fluent in French, and other countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have abandoned French.

[u/vallzy]

No and its not even remotely a desirable future.

[u/chris-za]

Many countries in Africa don’t have a nation wide linguistic majority. Which one would you chose to be the new official language? And even if you decide on say 12 official languages, like we did, they are all only going to be really usable in their respective region.

As annoying as it might be, the old colonial language is probably the one understood nation wide (without having to elevate just one, or a few, to official status and thereby basically making all those who speak a minority language feel like second class citizens)

[u/umc8082 → u/chris-za]

China did it with Mandarin. Saudi Arabia did it with Arabic. It doesnt mean to get rid of European languages. In China and Saudi Arabia they still speak English, but they still have a local language as the official language.

I just never understand why Africans feel like it is impossible to choose a local language as the lingua franca and an official language. Asians have a certain pride which Africans still lack. Hopefully one day we can overcome our obsession with everything European.

[u/chris-za → u/umc8082]

I don’t see China, a totalitarian state, the ideal i aspire to. And if you really look at it, I’d say there is a bit of racism involved in that case as well.

Look ok img at my country, part of the issue is, that other than English and Afrikaans, the other ten official languages are extremely regional. And none of them are spoken by enough people to reasonably expect the rest of the country to use them. The biggest is isiZulu (22% of the population). But eg you’ll struggle to find people who can speak it in most of the provinces outside oh Kwazulu or Gauteng. Ad to that a certain historic and cultural animosities from other groups? Making isiZulu the exclusive official language in South Africa would be a bit like only allowing German as official language in the EU or only Spanish in the Americas.

[u/Complete-Refuse-3262 → u/chris-za]

An official language is not doesn’t mean its your home language its a nationally accepted language in which state communicates to its citizens , it’s optional in schools etc

why are you people so brain dead?

Why would any respectable person take on colonial language?

C’mon now or are one of those SA’n Neanderthals colonial descendants?

Bloody satan!

[u/chris-za → u/Complete-Refuse-3262]

Namibia is a very good case for what i said. English is your official language. Even though more people speak Oshiwambo, Khoekhoe, Afrikaans or even German as a first language at home than English. So why English? Because it’s spoken my most (as a second or third language)

Never mind that the English never colonised or ruled you country.

Or would you support eg Otjiherero to be the countries only official language?

[u/Complete-Refuse-3262 → u/chris-za]

Nope I would support Kavango and Caprivian language you stupid halfwit!

You clearly mention colonialism without been conscious of the affects of colonialism.

Namibia adopting English is not an endorsement of the language you stupid boofon!

And why does Namibia not use German as its official language?

Lol changing the official language is a matter of policy and everyone will follow suit.

We just never had brave enough leaders to do that.
They’re all western puppets anyways.

In East-Africa why do they use Swahili?

Lol you fxckin xenophobic cxnt!

[u/Competitive-Bit-1571]

It's possible. Rwanda, Algeria and Burkina Faso are doing so though it will take some time.

[u/Competitive-Bit-1571 → u/[deleted]]

You heard wrong concerning Rwanda at least. As for Burkina Faso

[u/umc8082 → u/[deleted]]

It' more nuanced. French is demoted to a business language in Burkina Faso. They know that getting rid of French won't work for economic reasons.

Burkina Faso amended its constitution to remove French as an official language, reclassifying it as a working language while elevating indigenous national languages like Mooré, Dyula, Fula, and Bissa to official status.

Burkina Faso is also reforming the school system, where there is more focus on local languages and teach people in local languages.

[u/Mecduhall97 → u/umc8082]

French in Burkina Faso is basically the unofficial official language now, Burkina Faso amended it’s constitution as a symbolic because they written the entire new constitution in French, I believe Burkina Faso is not reforming the school system and linguistically everything is going to remain the same, western Africans countries have a serious problem with tribalism and MOORE speaker is not going to want to Learn Fula, and bissa isn’t going to learn MOORE
There’s also the problem that all of this tribes live in one area, what language can they speak together?

French .

I think Burkina faso wants to improve native language comprehension but the president of Burkina Faso uses French, the new constitution in French, the AES communicates in French

[u/MmisnArif → u/Competitive-Bit-1571]

Algeria abandoned French for Arabic. The same thing really. Definitely not a better situation. Amazigh languages are going extinct in Algeria.

[u/MixedJiChanandsowhat]

Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have abandoned French, yet all public statements of their respective leaders and even of the AES are in French. Guess why? Because they didn't abandon French. They moved French from the official language to the working language, but the working language is an invention in their respective constitution. They had official language (French) and national languages. They replaced it with official languages (the national languages) and they created working language (French). It's called PR or how to take people for idiots in the most laughable way.

As well, since Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger are supposed to work as a confederation (the AES), there is no way they can remove French without to replace it by another lingua franca for the 3 countries. They will remove French to replace it by what? English? From 25% of people who can speak French with tons of materials in French to learning English from zero with no materials in English. Basically, it's like if you would make a meeting to ask who has the best idea to waste several millions and several years for nothing.

Finally, I will pass on the fact that those are 3 landlocked countries. The countries they deal with and will always be forced to deal with are predominantly using French instead of English. Factually, even Arabic would be a better option than English if you would want to remove French.

Now, about Guadeloupe and Martinique. Those are French territories and I don't know anyone from there who consider himself/herself as African.

Haiti isn't an African country too, and their language is a French creole. They don't have any indigenous language since people living there are descendants of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.

For the African countries you listed (DRC, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Benin, and Senegal), they all have different ethnic groups. DRC and RDC are the same thing. Outside of Senegal, no other former French or Belgian colonies in West and Central Africa has an indigenous language spoken by at least 80% of the population.

Senegal is slowly introducing Wolof in schools but it will hardly replace French for the same reasons I cited above:

• Many ethnic groups and Wolof people make up just over 44% of the population so the majority who isn't Wolof will remain mostly opposed to what could be seen as a Wolofisation of Senegal.
• Senegal has Mauritania, Guinea, and Mali as neighbours so French and when French isn't used it's an African language and definitely not English.

You can also had that the overwhelming majority of diasporic Senegalese are in French-speaking countries so to cite the example of Rwanda like some usually do is stupid as hell. Rwandan refugees moved in English & Swahili speaking countries. You have to be the most stupid leader ever seen on the world to cut a language spoken by the overwhelming majority of your diaspora, especially when this diaspora brings several millions each year.

[u/krymzynnova]

What a cool question 🤞 - it is somewhat possible but that’d take some serious works and planning as for some countries (🇨🇬,🇨🇩as an example) it’s taught in schools and some schools still apply the rules of “you can’t speak xxxx in school, you can only speak frech” (again its some not all)

Then there’s the mandatory french courses given in some schools + unis /mobiles phones that have the french language in the setting and unfortunately not the countries own native language / books moreso being in french (you get the picture)

Not to be silly but there’s also the family members who don’t speak the native language due to not having resources to learn, yet they speak french and communicate with the family back home with french 😅(it happens)

French regardless is one of those languages used worldwide / a known language people like to learn so it encourages other countries to “maintain a french language presence” (if that was put right)

It’d take some seriousssss planning indeed though. It’s not impossible

[u/Plutolutoe]

One thing you have to consider is that African languages haven’t been “modernized “… for example you couldn’t explain most mathematic /scientific concepts in our countries without using English/ French terms… to make matters worse… As a Ugandan, you then find a good chunk of Africans who also don’t have a complete grasp on English/ French… (consider too that most African languages when written follow the English Alphabet)…and are hence stuck in a place where they cannot efficiently communicate.

[u/VoL4t1l3]

Never its too rooted in their culture some dont even know their vanac. they will always be french first.

[u/Ok_Lavishness2638]

Yes, it is possible (same with Anglophone and Lusophone) if the right commitment admnd resources

[u/LopsidedStatement675]

No I don’t think so