Language revitalization efforts in East Africa and Côte d'Ivoire are crucial for preserving cultural identity in contexts where colonial languages have often overshadowed indigenous tongues. Data was collected through interviews with local community leaders, surveys of youth attitudes towards their mother tongues, and analysis of government policies regarding language education. A significant proportion (70%) of respondents in East Africa expressed a strong desire to learn their indigenous languages, which contrasts with the lower but still substantial interest (45%) observed in Côte d'Ivoire. This indicates varying degrees of revitalization efforts and cultural preservation across regions. Language revitalization programmes have shown promise in both regions, though they face challenges such as lack of resources and resistance from older generations who prefer colonial languages. Efforts should focus on integrating language education into primary schools and promoting community-led initiatives to sustain cultural identity through language use.
Kouassi et al. (Fri,) studied this question.