Adieu to French

Abstract

This chapter explores the move toward English within French-speaking countries in Africa. It focuses primarily on Rwanda and Morocco, countries with distinct histories and political tensions that have shaped language policies, particularly in education. It considers Rwanda’s tense relationship with France following accusations of French responsibility in the 1994 genocide, the country’s official switch from French to English, and the negative impact on educational outcomes. It explores Morocco’s multilingual landscape shaped by Modern Standard Arabic, Tamazight, and French, the growing influence of English, the failures of Arabization as measured by low student performance, and the current debate over language in the schools where all four languages have coalesced in a dizzying combination of support from competing political factions and interests. It assesses the benefits and burdens of English and suggests key factors that may determine whether and how quickly Morocco will follow Rwanda’s lead with English dominating government and education.