Senegal MPs ratify law allowing them to debate in six vernaculars
What you need to know:
The belated move will enable illiterate parliamentarians to express themselves clearly on issues of national importance
One out of three parliamentarians in Senegal do not speak French or have sufficient command of it, a study had revealed
Speaker of the House Moustapha Niasse says French will remain the official language of the institution
Lawmakers in Senegal have ratified a law that permits the use of six local vernaculars to express themselves in Parliament.
The belated move will enable illiterate parliamentarians to express themselves clearly on issues of national importance, a parliamentary statement said on Tuesday.
One out of three parliamentarians in Senegal do not speak French or have sufficient command of it, a study had revealed.
The selected local vernaculars are Wolof, Diola, Malinke, Pulaar, Seerer or Soninke.
Of all these languages, Wolof is the most popular and widely spoken in the country as well as in Mauritania and Gambia.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House, Mr Moustapha Niasse, says French will remain the official language of the institution, noting that all official documents will be written and submitted in French.
These languages will be interpreted simultaneously with the help of equipment funded by the European Union to the tune of 450,000 euros.
The equipment was installed early this month.
What strikes most visitors to Senegal is the overwhelming use of Wolof, with the majority easily resorting to the local vernacular even when they express themselves in official circles.
Most Senegalese have often expressed regrets that the founder of the nation and erudite Frenchman and poet Leopold Sedar Senghor did very little to embed the use of French in the country.
Furthermore, very few Senegalese are literate in Wolof
