The linguistic richness of Africa, which has around 2,000 languages, is today threatened. However, a language is more than a simple instrument of communication: it is the reflection of the culture and identity of a people, carrying within it its creative genius, its imagination and its vision of the world.
The first factor that threatens African linguistic diversity is the crisis of identity and cultural consciousness, characterized by the abandonment of African languages in favor of Western languages, especially among intellectual speakers living in urban environments. Rural areas, once ramparts for the preservation of languages and traditions, are also emptying out to the detriment of urban areas, leading to the abandonment of languages spoken by minorities and the gradual disappearance of certain African languages.
The second factor is the lack of effective language policies focused on promoting African languages, with most states and continental institutions favoring Western languages as official languages. Only ten African languages are considered official languages in a few African countries, while foreign languages are favored in the rest of the continent.
To renounce our languages is to renounce our cultures, our traditions, our creative genius, our imagination, our vision of the world, of ourselves. Yet this is what is currently happening in Africa, resulting in the disappearance of certain languages each year, under the gaze of public authorities who are unaware of the sociolinguistic issues of their peoples.
The importance of preserving this linguistic richness may be difficult for some to understand, but without languages there are no more speakers, no more cultures, no more traditions, no more vision of the world. States have the power to decide the fate of our languages, our cultural identity and our future as individuals and peoples.
It is more than ever time to face the crisis of identity and cultural awareness and to put in place far-reaching language policies to protect African linguistic diversity.