Social Commentary: The Importance of Having a National Language

A couple of days ago, I had an interesting chitchat with a colleague as of why small countries in Africa have so much conflict whereas this huge continent we call the North America stays relatively peaceful. I haven't done a research on the topic so please don't quote me. This is strictly a personal opinion based on a conversation between two minds who are fascinated by the world and human interactions.

I don't recall how the whole conversation started but somehow ideas were bouncing back and forth and somewhere in there felt like we came across the core reason behind conflicts around the world. And that would be, ladies and gentleman....*drum roll* ....lack of communication. Now that we know the issue, UN and AU officials can take a vacation :-) I know some of you are going.. 'duuuuhhhhh'... pretty obvious.

 Think about it, what was one trick God used when He wasn't too pleased with Babylonians building the tower of Babel? He confused their language so they couldn't function together. And what do two year olds who, by the way, know exactly what they want to say but don't know the words to express it do? Scream, bite and cry :-(

There are over 90 different languages ( not dialects... LANGUAGES) in Ethiopia and at the moment no national language. Every region has its own official working language. You must get your documents translated to the region's official language if you want something done in that region's branch office. Don't get me wrong. I am all for a cultural development and preservation. But how can one work together if we can't even understand each other? Can we be a little realistic here? It is clear that the more barrier we create, the more drifted apart we become. Egos aside... a nation needs ONE working language across to grow stronger as one. Otherwise we are creating 90 little future countries in already torn up nation. I am just saying...