Category Archives: PAPERS and REPORTS
Africa IMF Reports : Swaziland 2011
IMF reports for Swaziland 2011
Departmental Paper No. 11/01: In the Wake of the Global Economic Crisis: Adjusting to Lower Revenue of the Southern African Customs Union in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and Swaziland. Summary: The Southern African Customs Union (SACU) is facing its biggest challenge in its 100 years of existence. The global economic crisis has significantly reduced its revenue outlook, which is having a disproportionate impact on its smaller member countries, and which calls for an appropriate policy response. This paper discusses specifically the implications for Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and Swaziland, and provides recommendations regarding the proper fiscal response by these countries to the decline in SACU revenue.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=24512.0
Public Information Notice: IMF Executive Board Concludes 2010 Article IV Consultation with Swaziland
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pn/2011/pn1106.htm
Country Report No. 11/25: Kingdom of Swaziland: 2010 Article IV Consultation–Staff Report; Staff Supplement; Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director for Swaziland
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=24589.0
Press Release: Statement at the Conclusion of an IMF Staff Mission to Swaziland
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2011/pr1160.htm
Country’s Policy Intentions Documents — Swaziland, Kingdom of: Letter of Intent, Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies, and Technical Memorandum of Understanding, March 29, 2011
http://www.imf.org/External/NP/LOI/2011/SWZ/032911.pdf
Country Report No. 11/84: Kingdom of Swaziland: Staff Monitored Program-Staff Report; Staff Supplement
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=24785.0
IMF Survey: Swaziland Uses IMF Monitoring Program to Fight Fiscal Crisis IMF management approves a Staff-Monitored Program for Swaziland to help the country enact tax reforms and at the same time protect social spending. The program entails IMF scrutiny of the authorities’ policies, but does not include formal backing of the program or financial support.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/survey/so/2011/car040811a.htm
IMF Policy Paper: Kingdom of Swaziland – Assessment Letter for Multilateral and Bilateral Donors Summary: This letter provides an assessment of recent macroeconomic developments in Swaziland and an update on the discussions between IMF staff and the Swaziland authorities. Swaziland faces a fiscal crisis caused by an 11 percent of GDP drop in revenue payments from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and one of the largest wage bills in Africa. In response, the authorities have put in place an ambitious Fiscal Adjustment Roadmap and requested IMF staff to monitor its implementation. The IMF Managing Director approved a Staff-Monitored Program with Swaziland on April 4, 2011, that seeks to start the necessary fiscal adjustment, while protecting education, health, and pro-poor spending and improving public financial management. Securing adequate financing in 2011/12 will be critical to avert a more severe fiscal situation.
http://www.imf.org/external/pp/longres.aspx?id=4561
Press Release: Statement at the Conclusion of an IMF Staff Mission to Swaziland
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2011/pr11186.htm
Press Release: Statement at the Conclusion of an IMF Article IV Mission to Swaziland
http://www.imf.org/external/
IMF African Departmental Paper No. 2011/07: Macroeconomic Vulnerabilities Stemming from the Global Economic Crisis: The Case of Swaziland
http://www.imf.org/external/
All information from imf.org
Suggested Books
- Swaziland: A Southbound Pocket Guide (Southbound Pocket Guides) (Southbound Travel Guides)
- The Rough Guide to South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland 4 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
Africa IMF Reports : Rwanda 2011
IMF reports for Rwanda 2011
Public Information Notice: IMF Executive Board Concludes 2010 Article IV Consultation with Rwanda
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pn/2011/pn1103.htm
Country Report No. 11/19: Rwanda: 2010 Article IV Consultation and First Review Under the Policy Support Instrument-Staff Report; Public Information Notice and Press Release on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director for Rwanda.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=24579.0
Press Release: IMF Executive Board Completes Second Review Under Policy Support Instrument for Rwanda
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2011/pr11251.htm
Country Report No. 11/154: Rwanda: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper – Progress Report
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=25001.0
Country’s Policy Intentions Documents — Rwanda: Letter of Intent, Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies, and Technical Memorandum of Understanding, May 25, 2011
http://www.imf.org/External/NP/LOI/2011/RWA/052511.pdf
Country Report No. 11/164: Rwanda: Second Review Under the Policy Support Instrument and Request for Modification of Assessment Criteria – Staff Report; Staff Supplement; Press Release
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=25018.0
Country Report No. 11/244: Rwanda: Financial System Stability Assessment
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=25137.0
All information from imf.org
Suggested books
- Re-Imagining Rwanda: Conflict, Survival and Disinformation in the Late Twentieth Century (African Studies)
- Remaking Rwanda: State Building and Human Rights after Mass Violence (Critical Human Rights)
Africa IMF Reports : Togo 2011
IMF reports for Togo 2011
Country Report No. 11/6: Togo: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper-Progress Report-Joint Staff Advisory Note
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=24550.0
Country Report No. 11/7: Togo: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper-Progress Report
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=24551.0
Country’s Policy Intentions Documents — Togo: Letter of Intent, and Technical Memorandum of Understanding, November 15, 2010
http://www.imf.org/External/NP/LOI/2010/tgo/111510.pdf
Country Report No. 11/10: Togo: Fifth Review Under the Three-Year Arrangement Under the Extended Credit Facility, Request for Modification of a Performance Criterion and Request for Extension of the Arrangement-Staff Report; Staff Statement; Press Release on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director for Togo.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=24561.0
Country Report No. 11/28: Togo: Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative Completion Point Document and Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI)
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=24597.0
Press Release: Statement by an IMF Mission to Togo
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2011/pr11183.htm
Press Release: IMF Executive Board Completes Sixth and Final Review Under the ECF Arrangement for Togo and Approves US$13.95 Million Disbursement
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2011/pr11285.htm
Country’s Policy Intentions Documents — Togo: Letter of Intent, June 26, 2011
http://www.imf.org/External/NP/LOI/2011/TGO/062811.pdf
Public Information Notice: IMF Executive Board Concludes 2001 Article IV Consultation with Togo
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pn/2011/pn11100.htm
Country Report No. 11/240: Togo: 2011 Article IV Consultation and Sixth Review Under the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement – Staff Report; Public Information Notice and Press Release on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director for Togo
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=25132.0
All information from imf.org
Suggested Books
- The Political Economy of Economic Growth in Africa, 1960-2000 (Country Case Study Series) (Volume 2)
- Lonely Planet West Africa (Multi Country Travel Guide)
Africa IMF Reports : Liberia 2011
IMF reports for Liberia 2011
IMF Policy Paper: Framework Administered Account for Selected Fund Activities: Liberia Macro-Fiscal Subaccount
Summary: In March 2009, the Fund established a new Framework Administered Account to
administer external financial resources for selected Fund activities (the “SFA Instrument”). The financing of activities under the terms of the SFA Instrument is implemented through the establishment and operation of a subaccount within the SFA. This paper requests Executive Board approval to establish the Liberia Macro-Fiscal Subaccount (the “Subaccount”) under the terms of the SFA Instrument.
http://www.imf.org/external/pp/longres.aspx?id=4517
Press Release: Statement at the Conclusion of an IMF Staff Mission to Liberia
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2011/pr11130.htm
Press Release: IMF Executive Board Completes Sixth Review Under the Arrangement under the Extended Credit Facility and Approves US$7 Million Disbursement for Liberia
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2011/pr11258.htm
Country’s Policy Intentions Documents — Liberia: Letter of Intent, Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies, and Technical Memorandum of Understanding, June 7, 2011
http://www.imf.org/External/NP/LOI/2011/LBR/060711.pdf
Country Report No. 11/174: Liberia: 2011 Sixth Review Under the Three-Year Arrangement Under the Extended Credit Facility, Request for Extension of the Arrangement, and Augmentation of Access – Staff Report; Staff Supplement; Press Release on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director for Liberia
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=25037.0
Country Report No. 11/214: Liberia: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper – Second Annual Progress Report, 2009-10
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=25099.0
IMF Survey: IMF Technical Assistance Finds A Teachable Moment in Africa As countries around the world cope with the global crisis, the IMF’s technical assistance helps countries strengthen the policy skills, and technical know-how of their institutions. In Liberia, on the west coast of Africa, the government put in place a modern system to pay teachers on time with the push of a button.
http://www.imf.org/external/
Press Release: IMF Executive Board Completes Seventh Review Under ECF for Liberia and Approves US$6.9 Million Disbursement
http://www.imf.org/external/
Country’s Policy Intentions Documents — Liberia: Letter of Intent, Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies, and Technical Memorandum of Understanding, November 15, 2011
http://www.imf.org/External/
Country Report No. 11/345: Liberia-Seventh Review Under the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement
http://www.imf.org/external/
All information from http://www.imf.org
Suggested Books
- A Digital Liberia: How Electrons, Information, and Market Forces Will Determine Liberia’s Future
- Developing Public Private Partnerships in Liberia (World Bank Studies)
Africa IMF Reports : South Africa 2011
IMF reports for South Africa 2011
Working Paper No. 11/69: Fiscal sustainability and the fiscal reaction function for South Africa Author/Editor: Burger, Philippe ; Cuevas, Alfredo ; Stuart, Ian ; Jooste, Charl Summary: How does the South African government react to changes in its debt position? In investigating the question, this paper estimates fiscal reaction functions using various methods (OLS, VAR, TAR, GMM, State-Space modelling and VECM). The paper finds that since 1946 the South African government has ran a sustainable fiscal policy, by reducing the primary deficit or increasing the surplus in response to rising debt. Looking ahead, the paper considers the use of fiscal reaction functions to forecast the debt/GDP ratio and gauging the likelihood of achieving policy goals with the aid of probabilistic simulations and fan charts.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=24758.0
Press Release: Statement by the IMF Executive Directors Representing Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa on the Selection Process for Appointing an IMF Managing Director
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2011/pr11195.htm
Press Release: IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde to Visit South Africa
http://www.imf.org/external/
Press Release: Statement by IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde at the Conclusion of her Visit to South Africa
http://www.imf.org/external/
All information from http://www.imf.org
Suggested Books
- South Africa Pushed to the Limit: The Political Economy of Change
- A History of South Africa, Third Edition
Africa and the renewable energy path to reduce poverty
Africa and Renewable energy
Should Africa take the renewable energy path? By F. Denton, Arid Lands Information Network (2011)
Modern energy services are essential for reducing poverty. Countries need energy to increase economic production, which improves livelihood options for women and men. Energy is also needed to increase agricultural productivity, provide clean water and improve human health, and energy enables girls and boys to go to school.
The briefing discusses how climate change is complicating the energy situation in many parts of Africa. For example, changing rainfall patterns have led to droughts, affecting hydropower generation in many countries. And climate change is likely to worsen desertification, reducing tree cover that is already threatened by deforestation in many places; communities that rely on traditional fuels such as charcoal and wood will face an increased burden as forests become scarcer. A further challenge is that fossil fuel energy is a major emitter of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Global efforts to reduce fossil fuel use reinforce the need for wider energy options in Africa.
The editor notes that one alternative is renewable energy. Renewable technologies give countries more freedom around their energy choices and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. But renewables in Africa do not always provide energy security. For instance:
- renewable energy resources are abundant but unevenly distributed, causing supply issues for some communities
- the underdeveloped nature of energy sectors, many of which are inherited from colonial times, and the slow pace of reform have inhibited the uptake and institutionalisation of renewables.
- scale is a problem; many renewable energy options are pilot experiences, but renewables such as small mini-hydro and biogas digesters need to spread in ways that will reach energy-poor people.
Development priorities are closely associated with the uptake of renewables especially when these are linked to productive end uses and the welfare and wellbeing of energy-poor communities. The articles in this Joto Afrika present how renewable energy can serve multiple functions and how energy-poor communities are benefitting from biogas digesters in Uganda to solar power in Malawi. Other articles in this issue include:
- the spread of biofuels in Zambia
- hydropower in East Africa
- making fuel briquettes to save trees
- Africa’s National Adaptation Programmes of Action.
Available online at: http://www.eldis.org/vfile/upload/1/document/1110/JotoAfrika_8.pdf
Africa Tanzania : Involving children in education research
Involving children in qualitative research
Some time ago when I was conducting some research in classrooms in Mali I considered involving the children in the research. Although it seems simple, it is not actually an easy thing to do. I wondered about taking a small group from one class to visit another class which was using a different teaching technique and asking them to share their experience with their classmates. It didn’t work. The teachers were not happy about it, and I could not obtain parents’ permission to involve their children in the research.
Following my own experience, I was interested to read on the communication Initiative about a study in Tanzania which has tried to involve children in an education research programme. The children are considered as ‘consumers’ of education and their opinions have been sought on a range of issues related to education’. As a precurser to the report a report brief was published called ‘Children participating in research’ (PDF). One of the most interesting aspects of the research to me was that it was proposed to involve children in the analysis of the data.
You can download a PDF of the full report of Tanzanian Children’s Perceptions of Education and Their Role in Society : Views of the Children 2007.
This report contains children’s opinions on a range of issues related to education, such as school services (including healthcare, water supply, and food), textbooks, performance by teachers, discipline, extra charges, and their desired improvements to education.
I was particularly interested to look at the methodology section of the report. The tools the researchers used were:
- For quantitative questions (yes or no): Responses were gathered by a show of hands, or “voting” with small seeds, stones, or whatever was locally available. Alternately, the game “the sun shines on” would be played, where children would move in a loose circle. The facilitator would say something like, “the sun shines on those who pay school contributions†and those for whom the answer was yes would move to the centre of the circle.
- For qualitative questions: Children performed scenes from their daily interactions in role plays.
- For mixed answers: Opinion lines were used. A line is marked on the ground and children are told that at one end their teachers are kind, listen to them, and help them, and on the other end teachers are disciplinary figures you are afraid of. The children are asked to place themselves on the line according to their estimation of their teachers. This gives quantitative response (70% of children feel their teachers are more helpful than disciplinarian) and qualitative response (children discussing amongst themselves where they should be).
Suggested Books
- History and Development of Education in Tanzania
- Tanzania – Culture Smart!: the essential guide to customs & culture
The Casamance Conflict in Senegal
A personal interest in the Casamance conflict
I don’t usually cover conflicts in Africa because I prefer to cover positive stories wherever possible. But the conflict in the Casamance region of southern Senegal has a personal interest to me. My children were evacuated from there way back in 1990 when the area around their school became unsafe and the next village was shelled. Local people were not so lucky and a fertile area which used to be the ‘bread basket’ of Senegal and a popular tourist destination is sown with landmines and the killing and maiming carries on.
Background to the conflict
The following papers give a background to this conflict.
The Casamance Conflict 1982-1999 (pdf)
FOREIGN & COMMONWEALTH OFFICE LONDON, AUGUST 1999
RESEARCH & ANALYTICAL PAPERS
African Research Group
The Movement of the Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) founded in 1947 as a political party was launched as an explicitly separatist movement in 1982. Associated with the Diola people who straddle the border with Guinea Bissau, the course of the MFDC’s armed struggle against the Government of Senegal is summarised in this paper, as is the failure of successive ceasefire agreements between them.
The Casamance conflict: out of sight, out of mind?
The separatist rebellion in the Casamance in southern Senegal is West Africa’s longest-running civil conflict. Yet, compared with wars elsewhere in West Africa, it is virtually unknown in the outside world. This article describes the humanitarian impact of one of the world’s forgotten wars.
The Crisis in Casamance, Southern Senegal: A Constructive Conflict Resolution Approach
Chronologically, this paper will proceed in part one with McGowan’s theoretical analysis of conflicts in West Africa. Part two gives a historical background of the region that laid the foundation for the causes of the conflict. In part three the causes and escalation of the conflict are discussed. Part four gives an analytical exposition of the major actors and their respective roles in the conflict. This part will also include the international and regional response to the crisis. In part five, the theoretical implications of the conflict are discussed. This is followed by part six, where I conclude.
Suggested Books
- Power, Prayer and Production: The Jola of Casamance, Senegal (Cambridge Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology)
- Terreur en Casamance: Les convoyeurs d’armes (Collection Encres noires) (French Edition)
- Masquerades of Modernity: Power and Secrecy in Casamance, Senegal
Related articles
- Army: 10 killed in Senegal’s restive south (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
Africa Anthropology : Divination Methods in DRC and Zambia
Image via Wikipedia
I usually find the most interesting papers and articles whilst looking for something else. Then I bookmark them for reading later. The following article is one I found when I was researching on symbolism in Africa. I have to admit to being really grateful to publishers who put their back issues online. It makes life a lot easier for people who live in countries where there are not extensive University libraries.
Comparing divination rituals
Ndembu, Luunda and Yaka Divination Compared: From Representation and Social Engineering to Embodiment and Worldmaking by Filip de Boeck & Rene Devisch
This study deals with the Ndembu of northern Zambia, and the neighbouring Luunda and Yaka of the Kwaango in southwestern Zaire. Ndembu and Yaka peoples owe a great deal of their ritual institutions to the Luunda. About three centuries ago, Luunda groups left the Ruund nucleus in what is now the Zairean province of Shaba, and started to migrate westwards: some settled in the Upper-Kwaango, while others migrated further northwards to impose centralising political institutions onto Yaka people. The Ndembu issue from a southern migration wave out of the same Ruund core. Drawing upon our respective field research among Luunda and Yaka, we will present a critical evaluation of Turner’s views on Ndembu ritual from a comparative perspective. We will focus on his approach to Ndembu basket divination, ngombu yakusekula (Turner 1961, 1968, 1975).
Read the full article Ndembu, Luunda and Yaka Divination Compared
Suggested Books
Africa Report : Education reform in Uganda 1997 – 2004
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Education reform in Uganda
Education reform in Uganda 1997 – 2004: reflections on policy, partnership, strategy and implementation, Ward, M.; Penny, A.; Read, T., Department for International Development (DFID), UK (2006)
When the Ugandan government embarked on its ambitious programme of educational reform in 1997, it was also building a new framework for managing relationships with donors, technical assistance agencies, and stakeholders within the country. This book provides detailed studies of the Ugandan process of education reform, from partnership development, through to curriculum design and policy dialogue. It describes the internal governmental processes and politics involved in developing and implementing new policies, negotiating and managing the budget support modality, and assesses progress on increasing access to, and improving the quality of, primary education.
The analysis finds that:
- the overarching reform framework, the Education Strategic Investment Plan (ESIP), was generally well-conceived and coherent, though possibly based on different values to those of donors
- the use of a sector-wide approach framework to guide the education budget modality improved coordination of donor funding, and proved especially useful in encouraging and greater policy dialogue with donors and stakeholders
- there have been successes as well as significant problems and disappointments, the most notable being that the demands on the educational system have grown faster than the finances available
- problems have been caused at times by government acting without due regard to pedagogic or financial implications, while donors have increasingly failed to act corporately on major policy issues because most have their own individual areas of interest.
The report identifies a range of factors that contributed to the successes of the reform process, and offers lessons learned:
- it is important for the government and development partners to agree and record the rules of the sector-wide budget support process early in the development of the approach, and to agree and record funding for the strategy and funding mechanisms early on in the process
- government ownership, leadership and commitment have been essential to the achievements to date, as has the government’s commitment of time and resources to the process of policy dialogue
- the shift to budget modality was of great importance in increasing ownership of the reform process
- it is important to manage expectations (on both sides of the partnership) and to reduce the challenge for the recipient government to meet available capacity
- getting the institutional architecture right for development partner coordination is a priority, and it generally takes more time than is anticipated to do so
- learning by development partners has been important, especially the realisation that development of the education sector of Uganda is taking place in a highly complex social and physical environment.
How to get a copy
Download a pdf of Education reform in Uganda 1997-2004
Suggested Books
- The Management of Universal Primary Education in Uganda
- Education Inputs in Uganda: An Analysis of Factors Influencing Learning Achievement in Grade Six (World Bank Working Papers)
Cameroon: When marking tone reduces reading fluency
There’s a useful article on Cogprints about an orthography experiment in Cameroon. You can download the pdf of the document here.
Bird, Steven (1999) When marking tone reduces fluency: an orthography experiment in Cameroon. Language and Speech 42:pp. 83-115.
The question of tone marking
Should an alphabetic orthography for a tone language include tone marks? Opinion and practice are divided along three lines: zero marking, phonemic marking and various reduced marking schemes. This paper examines the success of phonemic tone marking for Dschang, a Grassfields Bantu language which uses tone to distinguish lexical items and some grammatical constructions. Participants with a variety of ages and educational backgrounds, and having different levels of exposure to the orthography were tested on location in the Western Province of Cameroon. All but one had attended classes on tone marking. Participants read texts which were marked and unmarked for tone, then added tone marks to the unmarked texts. Analysis shows that tone marking degrades reading fluency and does not help to resolve tonally ambiguous words. Experienced writers attain an accuracy score of 83.5% in adding tone marks to a text, while inexperienced writers score a mere 53%, which is not much better than chance. The experiment raises serious doubts about the suitability of the phonemic method of marking tone for languages having widespread tone sandhi effects, and lends support to the notion that a writing system should have `fixed word images’. A critical review of other experimental work on African tone orthography lays the groundwork for the experiment, and contributes to the establishment of a uniform experimental paradigm.
Keywords: orthography design; reading experiments; African languages;
Subjects: Linguistics > Phonology Psychology > Psycholinguistics ID Code: 2173 Deposited By: Bird, Steven Deposited On: 12 April 2002
How to get a copy
Download a PDF copy of When marking tone reduces reading fluency
Suggested Books
- The Phonology of Tone: The Representation of Tonal Register (Linguistic Models)
- Literatures in African Languages: Theoretical Issues and Sample Surveys
- The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Writing Systems
- Writing Systems: A Linguistic Approach (Blackwell Textbooks in Linguistics)
- Tone Languages: A Technique for Determining the Number and Type of Pitch Contrasts in a Language, with Studies in Tonemic Substitution and Fusion
- Tone in Five Languages of Cameroon (Summer Institute of Linguistics and the University of Texas at Arlington Publications in Linguistics)
- The Theoretical Aspects of Bantu Tone (Center for the Study of Language and Information – Lecture Notes)
The Language Question in Cameroon
Multilingual Cameroon
The Language Question in Cameroon , George Echu (Yaounde/Bloomington)
Abstract
In multilingual Cameroon, 247 indigenous languages live side by side with English and French (the two official languages) and Cameroon Pidgin English (the main lingua franca). While the two official languages of colonial heritage dominate public life in the areas of education, administration, politics, mass media, publicity and literature, both the indigenous languages and Cameroon Pidgin English are relegated to the background.
This paper is a critique of language policy in Cameroon revealing that mother tongue education in the early years of primary education remains a distant cry, as the possible introduction of an indigenous language in the school system is not only considered unwanted by educational authorities but equally combated against by parents who believe that the future of their children lies in the mastery of the official languages. This persistent disregard of indigenous languages does not only alienate the Cameroonian child culturally, but further alienates the vast majority of Cameroonians who are illiterate (in English and French) since important State business is carried out in the official languages. As regards the implementation of the policy of official language bilingualism, there is clear imbalance in the use of the two official languages as French continues to be the dominant official language while English is relegated to a second place within the State. The frustration that ensues within the Anglophone community has led in recent years to the birth of Anglophone nationalism, a situation that seems to be widening the rift between the two main components of the society (Anglophones and Francophones), thereby compromising national unity.
The paper is divided into five major parts. After a brief presentation of the country, the author dwells on multilingualism and language policy since the colonial period. The third, fourth and last parts of the paper focus on the critique of language policy in Cameroon with emphasis first on the policy of official language bilingualism and bilingual education, then on the place of indigenous languages, and finally on the national language debate.
How to get a copy
Suggested Books
- The Manenguba Languages (Bantu A. 15, Mbo Cluster) of Cameroon
- Language Use in Rural Development: An African Perspective (Contributions to the Sociology of Language)