Power structures and the challenge of indigenous language preservation in Africa

Abstract

This article analyzes the power structures shaping the preservation of indigenous languages in Africa within a postcolonial landscape, with particular attention to developments after 2010. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of linguistic human rights, postcolonial language hierarchies, and multilingual governance, the study demonstrates that although many African countries have made notable progress in institutionalizing indigenous languages through multilingual education, decentralized language planning, and technological application, these efforts remain constrained by colonial legacies, epistemic inequalities, and weak coordination between state institutions and communities. Structural barriers, including legal shortcomings, insufficient funding,“self-colonization” psychology and widening digital disparities have rendered many policies largely symbolic. The article argues that the preservation of indigenous languages can only be effective when embedded within broader strategies aimed at reducing epistemic inequality and expanding the participatory rights of mother-tongue-speaking communities.