Why has Africa not been doing so well and what is the way forward? This book starts with the analysis of Vansina and Prah: the old cultural traditions in Africa have been destroyed in colonial... Show moreWhy has Africa not been doing so well and what is the way forward? This book starts with the analysis of Vansina and Prah: the old cultural traditions in Africa have been destroyed in colonial times; new ones are currently taking shape, based in part in African languages. The book uses cross-cultural psychology to show that such new cultural traditions are indeed forming in Africa. However, almost all African countries currently use a former colonial language in secondary and higher education. The book demonstrates that if more and more people get educated, this system will no longer scale. Over the next decade, more and more African countries will have to make a transition towards increased use of African languages. The book proposes a distinction between discerned and designed languages. All over the world, designed languages are made to serve speakers of several discerned languages. This could and should happen in Africa as well. The book contains a number of brief case studies, showing how in fact such a transition is practically possible. In future, African countries will be able to achieve success in their educational systems by using a small number of languages as medium of instruction. Such a transition will also help to form the new cultural traditions that are already taking shape on the continent. Show less
This introductory piece outlines the lens adopted in this special issue, which foregrounds the examination of language and semiotics as a means of revisiting the concept of diaspora. Guided by... Show moreThis introductory piece outlines the lens adopted in this special issue, which foregrounds the examination of language and semiotics as a means of revisiting the concept of diaspora. Guided by posthumanist applied linguistics,the papers here envision human experiences as more complex than critical social theory may suggest; moreover, grass-roots agency–a focus that may be inadvertently overlooked in work that adopts a solely critical perspective–representsan important area of attention. Such an approach is grounded in the diversity of human realities that emerge from dif-ferential interfaces between structures and individuals who, themselves, possess the capacity to recognize these struc-tures and respond to them in unique ways. Together, the diverse pictures of inventive, creative, and, in some cases,dynamic constructions of diasporic identity presented here supplement, broaden, and challenge common conceptual-izations of diasporic positionality. Show less
