About RAP 21 Search Archives Sign a Protest Letter Join RAP 21 Contact RAP 21 French
Other articles in the RAP 21 Newsletter n° 29/2003:
NEWS FROM THE MEDIA SCENE
Launch of African Media Website and Newsletter
A Pioneer Study in Southern African Confirms Global Gender Trends
PRESS FREEDOM
Alerts from the Continent
FELLOWSHIPS
Four Scholarship Opportunities for MA in Journalism and Media Studies
New International Fellowship for Women Journalists
CONFERENCES & SEMINARS
International Executive Media Training Workshop
Five Grant Opportunities for African Women Journalists
Newsletter n° 29
THE BUSINESS OF NEWSPAPERS MANAGEMENT

The Challenge of Local Languages

The dominant commerce and administrative languages in Africa are English, French and Portuguese. This is also reflected in the African newspaper landscape, where the majority of newspapers are published in one of the languages inherited from the colonial powers. But does there exist a potential market for newspapers in local languages? And what is the position of bilingual newspapers???

The dominant commerce and administrative languages in Africa are English, French and Portuguese. This is also reflected in the African newspaper landscape, where the majority of newspapers are published in one of the languages inherited from the colonial powers. But does there exist a potential market for newspapers in local languages? And what is the position of bilingual newspapers?

"Our newspaper is published exclusively in French. The reason for this is simple: here in Benin very few people can read in any of the local languages. They exist mainly in a spoken version. At the same time, the local languages could potentially constitute an important market for the newspapers. Radio shows in any of the local languages are tremendously popular," says Matini Marcos, assistant manager of the semi-weekly newspaper "la Gazette du Golfe".

The idea of publishing in a local language is not an unthinkable one. Marcos speaks of a project initiated by the ministry of education which over the coming years will introduce the three biggest local languages into the Benin curriculum. In a ten year perspective he can well imagine newspapers that publish in local languages, something that would enforce the status of the local languages in this country, which as most African countries, does not prioritise local languages.

One exception to this rule is Tanzania, where a large number of titles in Kiswahili are published. Both Kiswahili and English are official languages of the country, but English is the primary language for business and administration. For several newspapers, English remains the obvious language choice.

"We publish in English since we target a specific audience," says Abduel Kenge, business correspondent at The Express, a weekly business paper in Tanzania. "The people who speak English are the ones with the highest education."

Ironically the newspaper staff conduct all their interviews in Kiswahili and then translate them into English. No newspapers in Tanzania mix English and Kiswahil, even if it could be a way of integrating two different parts of society.

"There is a monthly magazine which publishes in both languages, but no weeklies or dailies. It would probably be a good idea to mix. This would help English and Kiswahili communities approaching each other. Especially the ones who only speak English could get a better knowledge of Kiswahili," says Kenge.

There are some bilingual newspapers in Africa. One example is the Mauritius Times. Their case is, however, somewhat particular since the two languages they publish in are English and French, the official languages of the island. In practice, the newspaper publishes approximately half of its material in English and the other half in French.

"The staff is completely bilingual. In Mauritius it is self-evident that you master both languages fluently. The journalists at the newspaper choose in what language they write; some will choose English and some will choose French. For example, personally I feel more comfortable in English, but if there is need for it, I can just as well write in French," says Soodhakur Ramlallah, assistant editor of the "Mauritius Times".

The newspaper, which was established in 1954, at first published only in English. When they started publishing articles in French, it was not really a part of a deliberate strategy. "We realised that we were compelled to start publishing articles in French since many of our readers felt more comfortable reading in French. The first articles we started publishing in French were cinema chronicles."

The transition happened in a very natural way. To introduce another language, according to Ramlallah, never caused any problems. On the contrary, the newspaper managed to survive where others did not: today it is the oldest newspaper of Mauritius.

To other African newspapers who would be interested in adding a local language to its pages, Ramlallah says it is definitely worth a try. "I think it is worth trying to implement several languages in a newspaper. It would be an advantage for any newspaper which is published in a multi-lingual community."

For him, the best market for a bilingual newspaper is a very local one, especially as local languages can differ a lot within one single country in Africa. The articles in the local languages would probably also be even more popular if they dealt with topics that interest the readers on a very personal level, articles that concern everyday matters in the local community.

"I have never seen a bilingual newspaper elsewhere, and even in countries like South Africa I have only seen newspapers in English or Afrikaans, but not in any of the local languages. It is very important to preserve your origins, including the linguistic ones. The people of Mauritius have all come from different parts of the world. Everybody is very keen on trying to keep their cultural heritage alive. We of course get modernised, but we keep our traditions, our cultural characteristics," says Ramlallah.
Post a comment

Comments
© 2003 World Association of Newspapers - All Rights Reserved
Please send all technical comments regarding this site to our Webmaster
diabetic desserts recipes recipes Diabetic Soups Holiday Pizza Recipes Popcorn Recipes Recipes For Microwave Pasta Recipes Casserole Recipes Chili Recipes Curry Recipes Crockpot Recipes Apples Recipes Bread Recipes Vegetarian Recipes Vegetable recipes Desserts Recipes Appetizers Ethnic Recipes Meat Dishes Barbecue Recipes Sauces Recipes Marinade Recipes Low Fat Recipes Frugal Gourmet Kitchen Classics Recipes On The Grill Cook Books Seafood Recipes Cajun Recipes Breads Low Fat Low Fat Breads Bread Machine Recipes Yeast Breads Quick Breads Fat Free Vegetarian Salad Recipes Eggplant Recipes Radish Recipes Tomato Recipes Jalapeno Recipes Potato Recipes Lettuce Recipes Cabbage Recipes Beans Ambrosia Recipes Biscotti Recipes Desserts Low Fat Cookie Recipes Cheesecake Recipes Cake Recipes Pie Recipes Muffin Recipes Custard Recipes Best Appetizers Appetizers Low Fat Salsa Recipes Dip Recipes International Recipes Afghan Recipes Alaska Recipes French Recipes German Recipes Greek Recipes Italian Recipes Spanish Recipes Thai Recipes Korean Recipes Chinese Recipes Mexican Recipes Indian Recipes Beef Recipes Pork Pork & Ham Pork Butts Pork Chop Recipes Pork Ribs Rulled Pork Poultry Recipes Stews Recipes Ground Beef Barbecue Grill Barbecue Smoker All Purpose Sauce BBQ Sauce Barbecue Sauce Carolina BBQ Sauce Pickle Recipes Marinades Smoking Low Fat Appetizers & Dips Low Fat Breakfast Low Fat Cakes Low Fat Cheesecakes Low Fat Cookies Low Fat Desserts Low Fat Fish & Seafood Low Fat Meats Low Fat Pasta Low Fat Pies Low Fat Salads Low Fat Sandwiches Low Fat Sauces & Condiments Low Fat Sides Low Fat Soups Low Fat Vegetarian Baker's Dozen Taste of Home Recipe Book Bon Appetit Cookbook Blacktie Cookbook Buster Cook Book Martha Stewart Cookbook Cookbook USA Cook Book Cook Book Sara's Cookbook Sara's Cookbook Appetizers and Dips Poultry recipes Diabetic recipes Holiday recipes Miscellaneous recipes 110 recipes 1986 Usenet cookbook 2900 recipes Cyberrealm recipes Great sysops of world Specialty recipes Ceideburg recipes Cheese recipes Chili recipes Fruits recipes Garlic recipes Great chefs of NY Londontowne recipes Raisins recipes Recipes for kids US Food Vegetarian recipes Bread recipes Drinks Meat Dishes Brisket recipes Caribou recipes Chicken recipes Filet mignons recipes Pork recipes Swordfish recipes Turkey recipes Pasta recipes Uncategorized recipes Ethnic recipes Canada recipes English recipes Ethiopia recipes Germany recipes Greece recipes Mexican recipes Philippines recipes Welsh recipes Microwave recipes Soups recipes Vegetable recipes Asparagus recipes Barley recipes Brown rice recipes Lentil recipes Mushrooms recipes Salads recipes Wild rice Desserts recipes Cakes recipes Chocolate recipes Cookies recipes Ice cream recipes