Cameroon government relies on education to revive local languages

Cameroon counts over 260 local languages spoken by an estimated 25 million inhabitants but only 40 of these languages are taught in schools.

According to the National Institute of Statistics, 4% of Cameroon’s local languages including “Mbiame” that was spoken in the North West region and the “Ekung” that was spoken in the South have dissappeared since 1950.

During the celebration of the 24th edition of the international day of the mother tongue all over the national territory on February 21st under the theme “multilingual education – a necessity to transform education”, many schools showcased their mastery of lessons in local languages as implemented by the government of Cameroon some years ago to resolve the threat faced by the local languages.

In the Bamboutos, West Region, the Campus of GBHS Babadjou hosted a colorful ceremony that was centered on the use of local languages mainly the “Ngombale”.

During the ceremony, students thrilled their audience with sketches, playbacks, dictation and news presentation in the mother tongue.

“These students have really impressed me. News presentation in the mother tongue is not an easy task. I think this action will go a long way to restore the value of our local languages if all schools get involved,” declared the Vice Principal of the institution.

UNESCO say the day “recognises that languages and multilingualism can advance inclusion and the Sustainable Development Goals’ focus on leaving no one behind”.

Speakers of some mother languages in Cameroon used the day to urge their tribesmen to take pride in expressing themselves in their native tongue.

“To me, the mother tongue is like the basic language which we learn from birth and it is actually not a shame for me to speak it anywhere any how I want,” a native from Nso based in Douala said.

“It is easy to identify someone from Nso just from the way they express themselves. Though many people tend to make fun of it, I find pride in expressing myself in my language in public,” he added.

National language promoter, Nji Esther, advised that persons who can’t speak their language should consult relatives at home to teach them.

“Sometimes send your children to the village or bring some of your relatives where you live,” Nji Esther advised.

She said the best way to teach children is through repetition, a strategy which she has used to make her children speak her native language.

“As a mother at home, I use various strategies. I talk to them all the time about our mother tongue. When I say something and they don’t understand, I will repeat about five times making gestures of what I mean. When we repeat it several times, they will get it,” the language promoter narrated.

The international mother tongue day is observed every year to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.