The Politics of Tongue: How Language Shapes Africa's Place in the World

Join us for a lively discussion on how African languages shape identity, power, and the continent's global positioning.
About this Event

Across Africa, a quiet but consequential debate is unfolding: should nations double down on indigenous languages as a matter of sovereignty and cultural identity? Should they welcome China's growing footprint of Chinese-language centers on the continent, or lean further into English-language instruction as a way of positioning themselves with the United States?

The Young Professionals in Foreign Policy's (YPFP) Africa Discussion Group invites you to a conversation on how language choices in classrooms, constitutions, and diplomatic corridors shape Africa's economic partnerships, cultural sovereignty, and geopolitical alignment. We'll dig into the tension between reclaiming indigenous languages at home and the pressure to adopt global languages for strategic advantage abroad, and ask who really benefits when a country chooses one tongue over another.

We will be joined by Dr. Phiwokuhle Mnyandu, Assistant Director of the Center for African Studies at Howard University, who is an expert on China-Africa relations, with a focus on the intersection of academic diplomacy, soft power, and great power competition.

We look forward to hosting you!