The Future of French in Uganda in the Context of Language Policy Challenges: A Situational Analysis

In Uganda, publishing in French dates back to more than a century while its teaching dates from the early 1950s. Despite the position of English as the official language, French has for a long time been enjoying a privileged institutionalised position as a language of culture and a vehicle of international cooperation. French is offered as a foreign language at the secondary and tertiary levels of education and has been introduced in some private primary schools. Currently, however, French is facing language policy challenges in Uganda. One wonders how secure the future of French is in Uganda alongside the triumphant universal English language, the “national” flag bearer Kiswahili and the thunderous new arrival of Chinese. While choices between the indigenous, national and international languages are narrowing down, the promoters and developers of French must search for new niches for French as a language of inter-culturalism and interdependence.