French language to be removed from all spheres of life, Malian MP says

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
26 Jul 2023 12:06

French has been Mali's official language since 1960, but a new constitution has removed it from the list of official languages.

Anti-France demonstration held in Bamako, Mali, on April 5, 2019 (AFP)

Aliu Tunkara, a member of the Malian parliament, told Sputnik on Tuesday that his country plans to limit the use of the French language as the working language after the new constitution got recently adopted.

The government is also drawing plans to gradually remove it from all spheres of life, the official noted.

French has been the country's official language since 1960. The Government of Mali adopted last week a new constitution that aims to demote French to the status of the country's working language.

The new constitution was put into effect by Mali's junta leader Col. Assimi Goita, marking, according to a Presidential statement, the beginning of the Fourth Republic in the West African country.

Significantly, the new constitution passed overwhelmingly, with 96.91% of the votes during a referendum conducted earlier last month on June 18.

On the other hand, thirteen national languages that are spoken across the country received official language status.

"We adopted our own constitution a few days ago. We want to break away from the French system, we want to restore the status of our languages. Yes, French is a working language from now on, but it is only for now. We have serious plans to promote our own languages, we would like to completely remove the French language from all areas and gradually we will do it," Tunkara said.

He added that France has recently suspended assistance to the country's development organizations over the adoption of the new constitution. As a result, the country has faced severe pressure from these cuts. But Mali has also endured pressure from other Western states over allegations of military cooperation with Russia.

Mali has for years been channeling considerable efforts to remove the remnants of French colonialism in its territory.

On March 7, 2023, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop told Al Mayadeen during an exclusive interview that France's decision to withdraw from Mali was taken to "punish the Malian authorities that decided to change their military strategy and replace their strategic partner."

It is time for France and all its partners to realize that Africans are perfectly capable of running their countries and choosing their partners based on their national interests, Diop told Al Mayadeen.

Africa is open to establishing partners with anyone in the whole world, and the United States is an important partner, but it must take into consideration the interests and sovereignty of African states, the top Malian diplomat said.