The legislation on Cameroonian languages is a set of laws, decrees, orders, contracts, treaties, charters, conventions, reports, decisions, service notes, circulars and other regulatory texts that, directly or indirectly, set or orientate the considerations, processing and usage of the said languages. Language legislative resources thus targeted must come either from international instances, or national instances.

• International legislation
• Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights (1996, title1, paragraph 7, paragraph 1): “All languages are the expression of a collective identity and of a distinct way of perceiving and describing reality and must therefore be able to enjoy the conditions required for their development in all functions”
• Charter for African Cultural Renaissance (2006):

(Article 18) “African States recognize the need to develop African languages in order to ensure their cultural advancement, and acceleration of their economic and social development. To this end, they should endeavour to formulate and implement appropriate national language policies”.

(article 19) “African States should prepare and implement reforms for the introduction of African languages into the education curriculum. To this end, each State should extend the use of African languages taking into consideration the requirements of social cohesion and technological progress, as well as regional and African integration”.

 

• Aims and objectives of The Language Action Plan for Africa (part 1):

“a.       To encourage each and every Member State to have a clearly defined language policy;

1. To ensure that all languages within the boundaries of Member States are recognised and accepted as a source of mutual enrichment;
2. To liberate the African peoples from undue reliance on the utilisation of non-indigenous languages as the dominant, official languages of the state in favour of the gradual take-over of appropriate and carefully selected indigenous African languages in this domain;
3. To ensure that African languages, by appropriate legal provision and practical promotion, assume their rightful role as the means of official communication in the public affairs of each Member State, in replacement of European languages, which have hitherto played this role;
4. To encourage the increased use African languages as vehicles of instruction at all educational levels;
5. To ensure that all the sectors of the political and socio-economic systems of each Member State is mobilised in such a manner that they play their due part in ensuring that the African language(s) prescribed as official language(s) assume their intended role in the shortest time possible;
6. To foster and promote national, regional and continental linguistic unity in Africa, in the context of the multilingualism prevailing in most African countries”.

 

• National Legislation
• Hostile Legislation against national languages

– German Law ‘’ Schutzgebietgesetz ‘’ of September 10, 1900 excluding national languages from schools in favour of German: ….

– Decree of the Commissioner of the French Republic in Cameroon, Jules Carde, October 1, 1920: Only schools that provide instruction exclusively in French may be recognised as private schools. […]

– Decree of the Governor General of French Equatorial Africa, Victor Augagneur, December 28, 2020: No school will be authorised unless teaching is conducted in French, as teaching in any other language is prohibited.

– Circular of the commissioner of the French Republic in Cameroon, Jules Carde, October 11, 1921:  It is therefore essential that you follow the campaign plan I have outlined for you with the utmost care; that you coordinate your efforts, all efforts, so that the methodical and well-coordinated clearing (of other languages) continues without haste and without interruption.

– Carde-Marchand Order, December 26, 1920: French is the only language used in schools. Teachers are forbidden from using the local dialects with their pupils.

– Recommandation of the Brazzaville Conference of 1944 (paragraph 3): Teaching must be conducted in French. The use of local dialects in teaching is strictly prohibited in both private and public schools.

– Circular of the Director of the Education of the First Autonomous Government of British Cameroon September 27, (1958):

“I am directed by the Minister of Social Services to issue the following statement with regards to the policy to be followed in teaching of vernaculars in primary schools.

1- Although the mother tongue of children may be used to assist in instruction, English is to be the medium of instruction in primary schools and all text books used are to be in English.

2- Although there is to be restriction in the use of Bali and Duala in religious instruction, these languages are not to be any precedence over mother tongues”. 

 

• Legislations favourable to national languages

– Constitutional law No. 96/06 of January 18, 1996, modified and completed by law No.  2008/001 of April 14, 2008 (article 1) : The Republic of Cameroon […] works to protect and promote national languages.

– Constitutional law No. 98/004 of April 14, 1998 of the Orientation of Education in Cameroon affirming (article 5) the promotion of national languages as one of the missions of education and stipulating (Article 11) that the State shall ensure the ongoing adaptation of the education system to national economic and socio-cultural realities […] with regard to […] the teaching of national languages.

– Law No. 005 of April 16, 2001 on the Orientation of Higher Education (article 6) : Higher education works to promote bilingualism, cultures and national languages.

– Decree No. 2004/0660 of March 31, 2004 on the organisation of the Ministry of National Education, with the creation (article 101, paragraph 3) of the provincial inspection of pedagogy in charge of Letters, arts, foreign languages and national languages.

– Law No. 2004/019 of July 22, 2004 settings the rules that apply to Regions and No. 2004/018 of July 22 2004 setting the rules that apply to municipality conferring to regions and municipality of authority that act in matters of education, promotion and editions in national languages;

– Nomination of national and provincial pedagogic inspectors of national languages and cultures in favour of 3 orders: Order No. 5001/06/MINESEC of August 27, 2006 on the nomination of leaders in central services of the Ministry of Secondary Education, Order No. 4155/07/MINESEC of August 06, 2007 on the nomination of leaders in central services in the Ministry of Secondary Education and Order No. 4154/07/MINESEC of August 06, 2007 on the nomination of leaders in the Ministry of Secondary Education.

– Letter no. 07/4905/MINESUP/CAB/IGA/cm of November 09, 2007 which prescribe urgent procedures study of the possibilities of opening a domain of specific trainings known as Cameroonian Languages and Cultures in the University of Yaoundé I, of Buea, of Douala, of Dschang and of Ngaoundéré.

– Order N° 08/023/MINESUP/DDES of September 13, 2008 on the creation of the department and laboratory of Cameroonian languages and cultures at the Higher Teacher Training College of the University of Yaoundé 1.  

– set up of bodies to support national languages at the national, regional and divisional levels of the Ministry of Secondary Education and Ministry of Basic Education, in favour of Decree No. 2012/267of June 11, 2012 on the organization of the Ministry of Secondary Education and of Decree No. 2012/268 of June 11, 2012 on the organization of the Ministry of Basic Education respectively.  

– Law N° 2023/007 of July 25, 2023 on the orientation of Higher Education in Cameroon (article 7): Higher education works to promote bilingualism, cultures and national languages.