EAC should include French among its official languages

Editor,Please allow me to comment on Allan Brian Ssenyonga’s article, “TPF can speed up EAC integration”, published in the Sunday Times issue of October 20.Integrating East African countries into the EAC bloc is a historical act which means that it would be realised within the context of history. This includes all historical phases: Pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial periods are leaving their specific marks on the cultural and linguistic physiognomy of these countries to be respected by political leaders.As history is still working even the phases passed are not over: We have to get rid of a mere chronological notion of time perceiving history as an ensemble of possibilities, dreams and traumata contemporaries have to study to deal with the present by improving their living conditions economically and mentally. Linguistic diversity is the result of history which should not be ignored by community builders.Introducing English as the only EAC language is just the opposite of the mode of thought (and time) I mentioned above. Indeed Swahili belongs to a cultural legacy of the region to be promoted steadily in schools, including universities.In addition, the French language cannot be ignored by the EAC as it is spoken in Rwanda, Burundi and next door Congo. The increasing interest in French among young people in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania shows a cultural awareness of changing times community builders have to consider.So French should become one of the official languages of the EAC besides English and Swahili. In the European Union, we have got three working languages: English, French and German.Kecke, Berlin, Germany*****************Like Kecke rightly said, all the EAC partner states should look at the French language with interest and not disdain.For instance, the French language could be the single biggest barrier to East African Community’s expansion westwards (read DRC). Promoting French will only make East African youth more competitive.Leaders with greater vision should embrace French for mid and long-term strategic advantage, be it in terms of geopolitics, economy or diplomacy, etc.The percentage of people speaking English in DRC is far greater than the percentage of those who speak French in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya combined. Why? That’s a question we should all ask ourselves.Albert, Lubumbashi, DR Congo

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EAC should include French among its official languages