Overcoming the Francophone and Anglophone Dichotomy in the 21st Century to Promote African Unity

Abstract

Francophone and Anglophone dichotomy, to a large extent, remain the bane of African unity. This divide was created by the artificial borders and new languages imposed by the colonialists on Africans, with little or no regard to the already existing ethnolinguistic boundaries and developmental structures on the continent. With the imposition of colonialism, new economic and political structures were quickly introduced and implemented to run the colonies effectively. The colonial masters understood the importance of language as the best conveyor of culture, history, values, and identity and, thus, utilized it to their utmost advantage in the conquered territories. The indigenous languages were systematically and aggressively replaced by European languages, thereby suppressing the African languages and culture. With time, black culture, traditions, and values were erroneously classified as barbaric, fetishistic, and uncivilized. At the same time, European languages became the official and recognized languages of the colonies, were taught in schools, and used in commerce. Linguistic and cultural imposition were practical tools to buttress the roots of colonialism in Africa. More than six decades after the end of colonial rule, independent African states are still identified as Francophone, Anglophone, and Lusophone countries, in line with the inherited colonial languages. This artificial split between Anglophones and Francophones is one of the numerous factors contributing to Africans’ disunity and alienation. This study seeks to build the bridge, recommending ways in which this and other political, geographical, and cultural divides could be addressed to pave the way for a more unified Africa to become an influential global actor soon.