Language and education policy in the multilingual city of Bukavu

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide the reader with a profile of the linguistic and cultural diversity in Bukavu. Given the scant amount of information that is available on the language situation in the Republic of Zaire, an evaluation is first made of the language policy that has been followed in that country over the past 20 years and its impact on the overall educational system is assessed. The second part of the paper contains a preliminary account of the functions of the respective mother tongues (indigenous languages) as opposed to Swahili (a national language) and French in Bukavu. It is argued that the introduction of French as the medium of education creates an artificial dichotomy within the overall population and that this social cleavage could be countered by revised policy with regard to instruction in French. This conclusion would seem to be borne out by the results of the Communicativity Index as applied to a sample of the population of Bukavu