[Truenorth00]

I thought English was supposedly getting wiped out around the world.

The end of an era for the French language?

Nations reviewing their dependence on French reflects the deep divide between Paris and capitals across the Sahel – which could have long-term economic implications

....In a region rich with dozens of indigenous languages and dialects, French was successful as a unifying lingua franca after countries in the region gained independence from France in the 1960s. Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune had considered the French language to be “a spoil of war”.

After the French put an end to their military presence and diminished their diplomatic presence, the coup-born authorities in the African Sahel now look to ending the influence of the French language in the region.

Following in the footsteps of neighbouring Mali, Burkina Faso’s new bill, which was months in the making, stipulates the demotion of the French language, relegating it to the rank of "working language,” according to Le Monde.


Nigerian political analyst, Nyossa Djimrao told Independent Arabia, “The decisions of Burkina Faso and Mali represent the end of an era during which this language served France, entrenching its influence over its former colonies in the African Sahel.”

“France imposed this language on its colonies, which is why I believe that the decision to abandon it is both revolutionary and beneficial. Such steps will be replicated by other countries like Niger, which is in complete political and diplomatic harmony with Ouagadougou and Bamako,” Djimrao added.

...In 2022, France was compelled to remove its forces from Mali, then Burkina Faso, and later Niger. It also declared the end of its Barkhane military campaign, which it waged in an attempt to minimize the influence of terrorist groups that perpetrate bloody attacks in the region.

Launched in 2013, the campaign did not succeed in achieving any progress in the fight against terrorist groups, which led countries of the region to place their bets on Russian private military company Wagner to contain these groups instead.

“Many citizens, particularly those in favour of the wave of changes taking place in the African Sahel, perceive dropping French, with all the trappings of Paris and what it represents as a welcome step,” Djimrao said. “The French government therefore has to accept this as a fait accompli, although its language will be considered of secondary importance and will not be completely excluded.”

The setbacks suffered by France and French diplomatic, cultural and military institutions are not confined to the Sahel. They extend to other countries such as South Africa and Algeria, both of which traded French for English.

These developments reflect the deep divide between Paris and capitals of countries in the African Sahel in the post-coup era. This shift could have economic repercussions, especially considering French exports to former African colonies in the last decade have declined to 5 percent, having previously stood at 8.7 per cent in the years following independence, according to official statistics.

....French analysts believe on the other hand that linguistic changes witnessed in the Sahel are unsurprising given the rise of the English language across the world. They note that French will continue to remain in use as a secondary language in these countries.

French is spoken by over a hundred million people on the African continent, which is home to around 1.2 billion people. France works on promoting of the French language through the OIF, which it views as an effective tool to achieve this end through cultural activities.

....

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-b2486607.html

Two takeaways from me.

1) Maybe the French should have taken the threat of Putin's thugs across Africa more seriously. Interesting, how a failed military campaign is creating real cultural impacts.

2) Quebec needs to start thinking a lot harder about where it will source French speaking immigrants 20-30 years from now as some of these countries de-emphasize French. Also, Quebec could end up in competition with France itself for the highest quality migrants.