What One Has Reason to Value: Language Transformation Agenda in Africa from the Capability Approach Perspective

Language is central to human existence and is germane to the way humans learn and communicate. The language transformation agenda in Africa is situated within the initiative of realizing justice by allowing Indigenous people’s languages to stand on an equal footing with the language of the colonizers, which are predominantly used at institutes of higher learning and indeed education systems throughout Africa. Previous literature has pointed to the need for transforming learning and realizing education that does not tend to alienate students from African backgrounds. This desktop-based chapter seeks to contribute to the debate by assessing the issue of language transformation in Africa from the perspective of the Capability Approach. The chapter asks what a true language transformation in postcolonial Africa entails from a capability approach perspective, and argues that it should be grounded on the notion of what people have reasons to value. Efforts should be made, then, to enhance people’s capabilities through recognizing and mainstreaming Indigenous people’s languages in different African countries’ education systems.