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By Yasmein Abdelghany 

Linguistic diversity should be celebrated and seen as a key opportunity for fostering inclusivity, enriching cultures, and sustaining peace. However, for the indigenous communities living in a multilingual context in Cameroon, illiteracy is still a major issue that leaves them underprivileged and isolated from most development changes that have been taking place in the country.

Ahead of International Literacy Day 2024, celebrated under the theme of ‘Promoting multilingual education: Literacy for mutual understanding and peace’, Ms. Hajara Haman, a representative of Indigenous women in Cameroon and Africa and the project officer of the African Indigenous Women's Organisation Central African Network ( AIWO-CAN), shares some of the challenges and opportunities of literacy in multiple languages, especially for Indigenous communities. “It was very difficult growing up in an environment that is multilingual because my community literacy rate is very very low as compared to other dominant or local communities”, said Ms. Hajara Haman.

In the multicultural and multilingual Cameroon, where over 200 indigenous languages are spoken, Ms Hajara Haman was raised in the Indigenous Mbororo nomadic pastoralist community. As a cattle-herding community that constantly moves from one place to another in search of greener pastures, the Mbororo lives were never easy. With a significantly low literacy rate, Ms Hajara's Indigenous community has been suffering from deep marginalization and exclusion from almost all social facilities. 

‘‘Indigenous people face several challenges in a multilingual society like language loss because other languages are prioritized over their languages, the lack of interest in their languages, and most of all the marginalization and discrimination which makes it very difficult for Indigenous women and children to get an education and to survive in such environment’’.

As a minority, the Mbororo community find themselves in need of learning other languages, not only for the basic need of communication and socialization with people from other communities, but also to facilitate their cattle-grazing activities and assist them in carrying out commerce. Along their journey, they come to realize that literacy in the national languages, alongside literacy in their indigenous language, is imperative for their social inclusion. It further facilitates national unity and inter-cultural understanding among different communities of Cameroon.

‘‘Despite its difficulty, growing up in a multilingual environment was very important for it promotes cultural understanding;  Speaking multiple languages allowed me to better understand and appreciate other cultures in Cameroon’’.

Language is a fundamental aspect of culture and identity, and being literate in multiple languages helped provide Ms Hajara with the needed insight into the understanding of different cultures and experiences in Cameroon.

‘‘When we value and acknowledge the diversity of languages, we validate the experiences and perspectives of diverse communities. I wholeheartedly believe that becoming literate in multiple languages can significantly promote linguistic inclusion, peace, and mutual understanding in Cameroon and other multilingual communities in Africa’’.

Reflecting on her journey as a representative of Indigenous women living in multilingual communities in Africa, Ms Hajara has shared the differences literacy in multiple languages can achieve, from breaking down communication barriers and fostering cross-cultural understanding to the promotion of inclusive decision-making, enhancing education and economic opportunities and supporting cultural preservation and exchange, she affirmed that literacy in multiple languages can help in addressing historical marginalization and building bridges to peace and understanding and by promoting multilingual education and embracing linguistic diversity, we can build a more harmonious and equitable society, where every voice is heard and valued.