A Bilingual Revolution for Africa – Call for Papers
The Center for the Advancement of Languages, Education, and Communities has announced the following call for papers. In this book, we wish to examine the potential of multilingual education across the countries of Africa and in divIn this book, we wish to examine the potential of multilingual education across the countries of Africa and in diverse sectors. Authors (including educators, students, actors on the ground, parents, etc) are invited to present an essay about the local applications of various models of dual-language education and the ways to encourage their growth and scale. This book will seek to offer a positive and constructive vision for the future and will try to combat the myths and received ideas about bilingualism and education in Africa, namely, ignorance and obstacles that have retarded the development of dual-language education as a strategy for inclusiveness, equity, and quality as well as a means to achieve economic growth and develop human capital within Africa’s multilingual environments. The goal of the Bilingual Revolution is to advocate for a multilingual education for all, but to do so, we must raise the awareness about the importance and the advantages of multilingual education for Africa and to reach as many people as possible. One is allowed to dream, and so, each author submitting a paper to become a chapter of this book is invited to share his or her dream for the future of education on the continent.
Target Audience
Our target audience is made up of people with diverse backgrounds such as parents, educators and policy makers, and so, we need to express our thoughts in a simple and understandable manner. We must avoid excessive use of technical terms, scientific jargon and key references which would only undermine the effect “of a general audience book” that we hope to produce in our audience.
Who may submit an essay?
Authors older than 21, living in Africa or elsewhere. In addition, we know that the opinions of advocates in the field, communities, national and international organizations (such as associations and NGOs) could be interesting and insightful, and that they deserve a platform to be heard as well.
Submission Guidelines
Authors who are working on the topic and are interested to have their work considered for this book must submit the following to the CALEC’S editorial team at editors-af@calec.org before October 30, 2021.
- Statement of interest (half a page)
- Title and subtitle of the essay
- A 200-words abstract outlining the paper and responding to the questions: 1. What does the author expect to achieve with his/her essay? 2. What is he/she offering? (Topic and solutions)
- Writing sample (1.5 to 2 pages, Times New Roman, 250-300 words)
- Description of illustrations (black and white only). If applicable.
- A brief biographical note (half a page) which should include the author’s experience in multilingual environments and affiliation to an institution if applicable.
Authors can write in French, English or another language on condition that they will also provide a translation in French or English. Everything must be turned both in a Word and a PDF document, Times New Roman, size 12, double space.
Selection Process
The committee will choose 15-20 essays. If the work of the author is accepted, he/she will be contacted before November 30, 2021. The author will need to turn in his/her finished chapters before
January 30, 2022. Each essay must be submitted both in a Word and a PDF document. It may have a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 12, double-spaced pages. Times New Roman, 1-inch margins all the way around (250-300 words or around 1700 characters including spaces per page).
For more information, contact the editors at editors-af@calec.org
Dr Ayé Clarisse Hager-M’Boua
Linguiste / Enseignant-Chercheur
Département des Sciences du Langage
et de la Communication (DSLC)
Université Alassane Ouattara (UAO)
Bouaké, République de Côte d’Ivoire
Dr Fabrice Jaumont
Scholar-practitioner, award-winning author,
non-profit leader, and education advisor
Center for the Advancement of Languages, Education, and Communities
New York, NY USA
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One Response
Scholars at the University of Ivory Coast have been nurturing this idea for decades. Professor Georges Retord and several local professors co-authored books on local languages such as Baoule, Bete, and others.
Personally, I grew up in a Baoule family, where all my siblings and I used to communicate in this language. With our friends on the playground, we used French, the official/administrative language of the country. The fact that we switched back and forth between these two languages didn’t make us less smart.
I will probably write something on this topic, but I am just not sure for now. Hopefully, things will become a lot clearing in the next few days so I can submit a proposal.
Great idea!
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