Language as a power tool in Africa

Africa is home to over 2,000 living languages making it the continent with the most intricate linguistic mosaic. In most African countries, it is common to speak multiple languages in households. A child grows up learning two or more languages at home before going to school. A walk in a crowded neighborhood street, one hears many languages being used and people switching from one language to another. In formal education, learning in colonial languages such as French, English, Portuguese, and Spanish adds a new language to their linguistic abilities. Africans use different languages for different parts of their daily lives. In the home, the language(s) spoken is part of the tribal or ethnic identity, and the language (s) used for learning at school is part of the colonial identity and often the mean for international communication.

Languages, beyond a communication tool, convey cultural, norms, values, and self-identity. Each language is a cultural body that dictates daily lives and social behaviors. Speaking multiple languages gives a person various realities and visions of life. This increased understanding of a person’s own culture as well as that of others. In Africa, it is crucial to understand how can this linguistic wealth be leveraged to push Africans to the forefront of the world.

It is said that people who speak multiple languages have an enhanced mental capacity and increased awareness of different cultures and norms. The ability of Africans to speak multiple languages should be an opportunity to leverage educational and social power. An African speaking more than two languages would ideally be in a better position to have more access to the professional and or business world. A polyglot has the brain capacity to understand its own surrounding and that of others. That is a cultural and social skill that can be leveraged to set yourself apart from the masses. The skill can be used to set oneself apart in the workplace where there are different cultures and backgrounds.

Currently, the common understanding of the importance of multilingualism and how it can be leveraged is limited to certain countries. The question is how to materialize the skill into concrete actions that allow African students to have better access to the world. The socio-economic settings in many African countries affect equal education access and broader opportunities for all. In an ideal setting, the ability to speak multiple languages, regardless of which ones would be a pathway to opportunities and achievements in the world. For example, as a citizen of a country that was colonized, an African speaks the colonial language that allows him or her to understand the culture, norms, and behaviors of the former colonizer; in addition, that person has his own national language(s).

Language is power, therefore speaking someone’s language while they do not speak your own gives you a form of power and comparative advantage. This starts with Africans understanding the importance and the power of their multilingual abilities. The power to catalyze multiple languages into a comparative advantage rests with each person and their goals; it starts with believing in that power.

By Deborah Melom Ndjerareou