Ould Khlifa : “Algeria will not be a pawn in the Francophonia organization”

The Echorouk Forum received earlier this week the chairman of the higher council of the Arab language, Mohamed Larbi Ould Khlifa, who harked back to those challenges now being faced by the language of the holy Koran in Algeria and its achievements since the country's independence.The French colonization has particularly harmed the Arab language, thus prompting the Algerian citizen to speak nowadays a “patchwork language”. Arabic has besides, failed to assert itself at the level of the country's administrations.

• The chairman of the higher council of the Arab language has recognized that the French language occupies now a significant place within the Algerian society to which it inspires modernity.
• However, this trend seems to subside nowadays as a lot of Algerians are shifting to the English language.
• Notwithstanding, Ould Khlifa emphasizes that the French language does not constitute a threat to the Arab language as evidenced by the 8 million Algerian pupils who now follow their school syllabus in Arabic.
• With regard to Algeria and the OIF (the International Francophonia Organization), Ould Khlifa indicates that Algeria is not willing to adhere to this organization in so far as its constitution and its revolutionary itinerary do not permit such a move.
• Algeria will not also be a pawn or a springboard for certain powers which want to use countries to serve their own interests.
• The French colonization has had its nefarious effects, said Ould Khlifa, stressing that this language has been imposed on the Algerians.
• He said that Arabic is a language of culture and civilization which has funneled an important knowledge to all humanity.
• If certain people insist on an alleged conflict between the Arab and Amazigh languages, this is here only an attempt to impose a third language, he indicated.
• For Ould Khlifa, the Arab and Amazigh languages are complementary, adding however that the French language is a foreign language and should remain so. Ould Khlifa does not believe in multilinguism in Algeria.
• Taking the floor during the Forum, the General Manager of the newspaper “Echorouk”, Ali Fodhil, did not miss the opportunity to pay a warm tribute to Ould Khlifa for his relentless efforts aimed at fostering and promoting the Arab language.
• Ali Fodhil said that Arabic had been facing manifold challenges since Algeria’s independence, and this struggle is still going on now, he added.
• This language is currently confronted with certain difficulties and it has rather failed to assert itself in all the administrations as well as in the technical and scientific institutions of the country, Ali Fodhil asserted.
• He underlined, in the respect, that the role of the higher council under the chairmanship of Ould Khlifa was geared to promoting and uplifting the Arab language to the privileged place it deserves in our country.