Indigenous languages and Africa's development dilemma

Mariama Khan

Development in Practice, 2014, vol. 24, issue 5-6, 764-776

Abstract: Most African states like The Gambia use European languages for state activities and formal education. Africa has been a global pilot site for “transplanted” development initiatives with apparently consistent outcomes: failure, medium triumph, or unsustainable “success stories”. Its natural resources have been fully exploited, perhaps at the expense of resources like mother-tongue languages. Sidelining mother-tongue languages as the medium for the translation of the voice of the state, explains the gap in cultural relevance of many borrowed development initiatives, but also the neglect of workable endogenous practices. Africa must look inwards and exploit its indigenous language assets to benefit sustained development.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1080/09614524.2014.941789

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