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Many African countries had indigenous languages before colonisation imposed the languages of the colonial powers, typically English, French, or Portuguese.
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Do you know some African countries reverted to their native languages after colonialism?
After gaining independence, some of these countries reverted to their native languages as part of reclaiming their identity.
Here are some of the African countries that changed their official language:
1. Tanzania
Tanzania’s colonial language was English since they were colonised by the British. However, after independence in 1961, Tanzania adopted Swahili as the national language, since they were more Swahili than English speakers.
There are a total of 126 languages spoken in Tanzania, but only two are institutional: English and Swahili.
2. Somalia
Somalia’s official language was Italian and English. However, after independence in 1960, Somalia replaced Italian and English with Somali as the national language.
Somali was standardised and introduced as the language of education and governance. Currently in Somalia, the two most popular languages are Somali and Arabic.
3. Rwanda
Rwanda is quite a multilingual country. Their colonial language was French, but this was changed in 2008 when Rwanda shifted to English. On the other hand, Kinyarwanda is the national language, spoken by most Rwandans.
Rwandans speak three major languages which are also official languages: Kinyarwanda, French, and English.
4. Madagascar
Madagascar used to speak French since they were a French colony but after independence in 1960.
Malagasy became the national language, though French remains widely used in government, education, and law.
5. Zimbabwe
The Colonial Language of Zimbabwe was English. After independence in 1980, Shona and Ndebele were recognised as official languages together with English. Zimbabwe now recognises 16 official languages, including indigenous ones.
An important part of culture is language; that’s why it’s commendable when countries leave their colonial past behind and embrace their own languages.
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