Africa: AU Ought to Adopt Amharic As Official Language!

Africa has successfully decolonized the continent geographically; it is yet to free itself from the shackles of political, economic, and cultural imperialisms. Colonial legacies are still prevalent and visible in many aspects with calls for embracing an African identity has got louder and tenser over the years.

Although Africa has come a long way in terms of political emancipation, nations are still dependent on foreign aid and economies. Africa’s solution for Africa’s problems has become a catchword echoed by African leaders, pundits, and proponents of pan-Africanism.

Living up to the aspiration although seemingly appears to be tough, there have been headways in terms of resolving continental predicaments using continental mechanisms and wisdom. The Pretoria Peace Deal in Ethiopia is a solid indicator. Exploring indigenous knowledge is imperative to unleash the potential of the continent and meet shared ambitions. Adopting African-origin languages and cultural values will be instrumental to realizing socioeconomic and political goals. Sharing African values with one another will put the continent on a glide path toward unity and collective growth.

Yet, Africanizing African institutions require work at the top. Africa is still living under linguistic colonialism with colonial languages still being the working languages of the Union. The move from Eurocentric to Afrocentric values starts with embracing African languages as the working languages of the continental bloc.

Rethinking the neglected yet precious indigenous knowledge and challenging the imposed Western values is vital to utterly emancipate the continent from all forms of colonialism.

The African Union also set Vision 2063 to expedite the economic integration unity of the 1.4 billion people of the continent. Depending on Eurocentric values almost annihilates the African indigenous knowledge production system.

In what could be said a leapfrog step towards strengthening African values, the Union has adopted Kiswahili as its working language. Including African languages in the lists of its working languages will foster integration among states and enrich African indigenous assets. This week, Ethiopia proposes Amharic to be the working language of the bloc, a timely and must-do task. Ethiopia has been the linchpin of Africa as an ardent supporter of the anti-colonial movement and headquarters of the African Union. It is proper to consider the country’s proposal. These days, with Ethiopia’s influence growing worldwide, non-African nations are also teaching Amharic in their universities. So, including Amharic as the working language of the continental bloc will be the right decision that would pave the way for others to follow.

The newly-appointed Ethiopian Foreign Minister proposed the inclusion of Amharic as the official language of the African Union. This is in accordance with the AU Agenda 2063 and the goal for empowering indigenous African languages to contribute to the continent’s progress, said Taye in his remarks at the 44th session of the AU Executive Council Foreign Ministers held on Wednesday at the African Union headquarters.

It is worth noting that the OAU Charter was initially signed in four languages, including Amharic. Adopting Amharic as one of the official languages of the Union would honor Africa’s linguistic diversity and strengthen our collective identity as Africans, Taye underscored.

Embracing more indigenous languages in the Union will help free and empower the Africans. And, it contributes to mental decolonization. Amharic which is an indigenous language to Africa with millions of speakers and easy to learn ticks the entire box to be the working language of the Union. It requires the continental bloc to go back to the drawing board to integrate African values into its institutions.