AU Calls for Preservation of African Languages

The African Union (AU) Commission urged member states on Monday to preserve languages of the continent it said are "disappearing or are in the brink of disappearing." Speaking at the opening of the fifth world's Congress of African Linguistics AU hosted in Addis abeba, Ms.Rosebud Kurwijila, AU Commissioner of Rural Economy and Agriculture who, on behalf of Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare, addressed the gathering said that a good number of African indigenous languages have already disappeared.
She didn't, however, give the number of languages that have been extinguished in the continent.
"As you all know, Africa is home to more than 2000 languages and dialects. This constitutes more than a third of the languages spoken in the world and is a sheer witness of African richness in linguistic and cultural diversity. However, many of Africa's indigenous languages are disappearing or on the verge of disappearance," she said.
The commissioner indicated that the use of foreign languages for official communication in many parts of the continent has discouraged the development of local languages and, there is a need to reverse this trend.
"The death of a language is linked with either the dwindling number of people speaking it or the unfavorable external factors which forces the language community. This indeed has been the challenge faced by African languages especially in the contexts of colonialism and its impact even after independence," Kurwijila said.
The year 2006 was declared by the AU Heads of states and governments as the year of African Languages, which was officially launched on the 20th of July 2006.
"The Au recognizes language not only as a means of communication and information sharing, but also as a means of crystallizing African identity and forging a place for Africa in the global arena," Commissioner Kurwijila added.
Hundreds of linguistics professors and researchers from various Universities, including co-organizer Addis Ababa University in Addis Ababa, are deliberating on various releted issues at the week long conference of African Languages.
The conference was organized by the Addis Ababa University (AAU) and the AU Commission.