NIGER SAYS ‘GOODBYE FRENCH, HELLO HAUSA!’

4 months ago
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Niger has broken free from another colonial chain - the French language - by adopting Hausa as the country’s new national idiom. Hausa is indigenous to, and widely spoken in, West Africa. Along with fellow Alliance of Sahel States members Burkina Faso and Mali, Niger also recently ditched the body representing La Francophonie - i.e., the ‘French speaking’ world (or rather, those parts of the world that had French imposed on them by colonial France). Hausa is one of the most commonly spoken African languages. More Nigerians speak Hausa than French. In 2012, only 20% of Nigerians were literate in French. Switching to Hausa is a powerful affirmation of African heritage, identity and sovereignty.

Sources

https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/lifestyle/niger-downgrades-french-as-it-distances-from-its-colonial-past-with-a-new-official/xl6ldbr

https://www.odsef.fss.ulaval.ca/sites/odsef.fss.ulaval.ca/files/odsef_rr_alphab_niger_2015_final2.pdf

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