Category: Language Violation

For indigenous peoples, language is a vital part of life that facilitates cultural transmission, passing down of ancestral histories and traditional knowledge, practices, and customs. It is directly linked to the identities of indigenous groups. The historical and ongoing marginalization of indigenous peoples in Africa features the exclusion of Indigenous languages within the public sphere, attempts at linguistic assimilation policies, and lack of original recognition for indigenous languages. These policies are often a part of nation-building agendas to build national unity or attempts to prioritize dominant languages and follow the pressures of globalization, and are further fueled by discrimination against Indigenous identities and lack of representation within the government.