The colonial legacy and language planning in sub–saharan africa: a case study of zaire

Abstract

Hierdie artikel fokus op 'n voortslepende kwessie in die lande van Suidelike Afrika: watter inheemse taal, indien enige, moet tot ampstaal verhef word? Die kwessie word spesifiek aangespreek met verwysing na Zaïre. Waarom het hierdie uiters meertalige land nog nie daarin geslaag om 'n inheemse taal as ampstaal te kies nie? Faktore wat vordering op hierdie terrein vertraag het, word bespreek. Aanbevelings vir 'n herwaardering van hierdie tale deur statusherbeplanning word gemaak, asook vir 'n beleid van kohabitasie waardeur beide Frans en die inheemse tale nie ten koste van mekaar funksioneer nie, maar mekaar wel komplementeer. Daar word ook geargumenteer dat indien die land voortgaan met pogings om 'n inheemse taal as ampstaal te kies, die ge-kose taal 'n bykomende ampstaal moet word, eerder as 'n plaasvervanger vir die heersende ampstaal, Frans. Daar word voorgestel, vir die eerste keer, dat so 'n bykomende ampstaal Swahili moet wees, eerder as een van die ander inheemse tale.

This paper is concerned with sub-Saharan Africa's perennial issue of choosing an indigenous language for official use, with a focus on Zaire. More specifically, the paper attempts to determine why Zaire, one of the highly multilingual countries in the African continent, has not succeeded yet in choosing an indigenous language for official use. The factors which have impeded progress on this issue are discussed. Recommendations are made which call for the revalorization of these languages through status re-planning; and for a co-habitation policy whereby both French and indigenous languages function not one at the expense of the others but one in addition to the others. It is argued that should the country pursue efforts to choose an indigenous language for official use, the language targetted for this purpose should become an additional official language rather than a substitute for the incumbent official language, French. It is suggested, for the first time, that such an additional official language should be Swahili rather than any of the other indigenous languages.