At a time when coups d’etat are multiplying in French-speaking African countries, is the French-speaking world in danger on the continent? In recent years, several states have seemed to distance themselves from the French language, like Mali, which, in 2023, withdrew it from the official languages. “When one of the member states of our organization gets angry with France, the French language is often the first collateral victim. But it is actually very complicated to implement, as its place remains important”, explains Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), who will speak this Friday, September 1 at the 18th edition of the annual Futuroscope Forum, organized by the Fondation Prospective et Innovation, in partnership with L’Express. Interview.
L’Express: What is your reaction to the military coup in Gabon on Wednesday?
Louise Mushikiwabo: The political situation in Gabon is deeply worrying. As I expressed through a statement on Wednesday, I strongly condemn the overthrow of the constitutional order carried out by certain elements of the country’s security forces. Coups d’etat are contrary to the values of the Francophonie, and to the commitments made by our Member States through the Bamako declaration of November 3, 2000. I call for respect for the rule of law. It is in this regard that I invite all actors in the country to seek a peaceful solution, to allow the restoration of democratic order.
In view of the recent crises in the French-speaking area of Africa, can we say that the Francophonie is in danger today?
I don’t think she’s in danger. The Francophonie represents a whole world, present on the five continents. Our organization, for example, is made up of a total of 88 states, 54 of which are full member states. So it goes beyond the sole framework of France, or Africa. Nevertheless, we are closely monitoring the ongoing crises in French-speaking Africa, whether in Niger or Gabon.
This year, the military junta in power in Mali removed French from the official languages. Doesn’t this type of decision pose a risk to the Francophonie?
When one of the Member States of our organization gets angry with France, the French language is often the first collateral victim. Overall, this has a lot to do with the political climate between certain states and France. This desire to remove the French language is their sovereign choice, but it is actually very complicated to implement, as its place remains important.
In many countries, French remains the only international language that allows communication with the rest of the world and, for example, to do business and trade. Therefore, the practical aspect of the language remains, despite political announcements. I therefore doubt that in Mali the population can do without the French language all of a sudden. The difficulty that we sometimes encounter, during crises in West African countries, is that this limits and delays our various programs, and in particular those related to the French language.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea were suspended from the OIF after military coups. Will this also be the case for Niger or Gabon?
It will depend on the outcome of these crises. If these coups continue, we cannot rule it out. This does not necessarily mean that we will end all our actions on the spot, but it will limit the scope. Indeed, even if we refuse to work with the political authorities of the countries that we have suspended, we nevertheless try to continue certain activities, in particular those which directly benefit the populations, such as the support provided to women in precarious situations. In any case, I am concerned about the development of the situation in these two countries. In Niger, there has still not been a return to constitutional order after more than a month. And from experience, we know that the longer situations of this type persist, the less chance we have of returning to normal.
Some influencers – such as activist Nathalie Yamb, who is followed on social networks by hundreds of thousands of people and has been accused by the United States of being linked to the Wagner group – consider that “French is the official language should be deleted”. Are discourses of this type carrying weight in French-speaking Africa?
It’s hard to be categorical, but I don’t think that’s the case. Speeches of this type, which are above all politically motivated, are unfortunately inevitable in a world where social networks are flourishing. If they can sometimes find an echo online with certain groups, I do not think that they are sufficient to push decision-makers to suppress the French language in our countries, or to question their policy in terms of education in French. As far as we are concerned, we remain focused on our mission to prevent a decline in the French language. And the discourse of these influencers, which has very little to do with the French language, but a lot with geopolitical issues, pushes me to do so with all the more energy.
Confucius Institutes – used by Beijing as a tool of soft power – are multiplying in Africa. Does this cultural offensive by China represent another challenge for the Francophonie in Africa?
It is the march of the world in which we live. I am not worried about the fact that powers emerge and come to bring their language and their culture. The French language can coexist with other languages of the world and it would not make sense to engage in a fight against them. The fact that other languages are emerging does not threaten French. We live in a multilingual world, where we can identify with several languages, and several cultural influences. With the development of digital and social networks, it is inevitable. We can live without any complex our Francophonie, but also our other identities.
Several French-speaking African countries have decided in recent years to adopt English as their second official language. How to explain this phenomenon ?
The explanations may vary depending on the different countries, but overall I think the objective is to offer the youth of these French-speaking African countries new tools to be better prepared for global competition and on the job market. In this context, learning English opens new doors for Francophones in Africa. But it is also true for European youth. However, this does not mean that we have to put an end to French. If you master both languages, the range of opportunities is even greater. So I don’t see it negatively.
With 167 million French speakers in Africa today, is it on this continent that the future of the Francophonie is being played out?
Quite. Contrary to popular belief, the number of French language speakers is growing today and will continue to grow in the years to come. This is mainly due to the dynamism of African demography. So in reality, even if the French language is declining in certain areas of the world, such as Europe and North America, or in international organizations, its number of speakers, on a global scale, is growing. It is therefore in Africa that the future of the Francophonie is being played out.