Officialisation des langues nationales - enjeux et défis pour le Burkina Faso

This article represents the current stage of our reflections on African language policy in general and that of Burkina Faso in particular. More specifically, we question the effectiveness of the officialization measures long demanded by certain African and Burkinabe linguists and now accepted by states such as Mali and Burkina Faso. We remain convinced that while officialization measures establish a legal framework that is, in principle, favorable to national languages, they do not automatically guarantee the promotion of the languages concerned. Similarly, a language policy of this scope must be rooted in the country's language ecology, taking into account the ethnolinguistic vitality of the languages present, as well as the needs of the continent and the world as a whole. Similarly, in order to be successful, this policy of promoting African languages must take into account the human, financial, and above all sociopolitical costs, as well as the geopolitical implications, particularly the costs of the much-vaunted sovereignty. Technical and financial partners are not generally eager to get involved when it comes to claims of sovereignty and independence, which are a matter of state dignity.