Africa’s sixth-biggest country, Niger, has taken a bold step to distance itself from its troubled past by adopting a new official language. For over 60 years, France controlled the country as part of its colonial empire.
Now, Niger has formally demoted French to a basic working language. Instead, Hausa, a language spoken by people in Western and Central African countries, has become Niger’s official language. It comes after months of political turbulence and growing anti-colonial feelings. Niger and France share a long history, beginning with the French conquest in 1898 during the Scramble for Africa, which commenced a more than 60-year rule under its colonial empire.
Niger obtained independence from France in 1960. However, this did not end political struggles in the country.
Since 1960, Niger has experienced five coups d’état and four periods of military rule. Following the most recent coup in 2023, the country is once again under a military junta.
In a bid to remove its colonial influence, a Refoundation Charter was recently passed. This represents a significant shift in national identity and government, following months of instability.
French – one the dominant language of the administration and education in Niger – lost its official status in mid-March, when it and its fellow Alliance of Sahel States (AES) member Mali, left the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).
The OIF is a grouping of French-speaking countries – in many ways similar to the British Commonwealth – that promotes cultural and linguistic relations among its members.
However, due to ongoing foreign pressure and involvement, Niger officially resigned from the organisation on March 17. The OIF had suspended Niger’s membership after the 2023 coup, demanding a restoration of democratic governance and the release of President Mohamed Bazoum and his wife, who are still detained under the junta administration.
The Refoundation Charter also formally appoints General Abdourahamane Tiani as President of the Republic for a 60-month transition period, strengthening the junta’s control.
The Hausa language is a Chadic (Afroasiatic) language, spoken primarily by the Hausa people in the northern parts of Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Benin and Togo, as well as the southern parts of Niger and Chad. A small number of speakers also live in Sudan.
According to Ethnologue, it was spoken as a first language by some 58 million people and as a second language by another 36 million, bringing the total number of speakers to an estimated 94 million.
This is not the only move Niger has made to distance itself from its colonial past. In January, Niger decided to rename streets which had what it described as colonial-era names. In November, it also announced plans to rewrite the events of its colonial history, arguing that the country’s history should be told from its own lens.
