The Birifor language is alive and well in Burkina Faso!

The Birifor language is alive and well in Burkina Faso!

Fifteen years ago, the Feyerabend Foundation supported a small initiative to promote the Birifor language as a key means of identity and solidarity among the Birifor people in Burkina Faso.  At that time the language seemed to be spoken by fewer and fewer people and in serious risk of disappearing…  With the help of our small grant, an organization called INECSO (Initiative pour l’Eco citoyenneté dans le Sud-Ouest) produced some essential documents in Birifor (e.g., a dictionary, a text in basic arithmetic, a simple grammar), carried out some training of trainers, and promoted the setting up of a national Birifor Language Commission. Also thanks to this work, INECSO informs us that the Birifor language is today listed as being currently spoken in Burkina Faso.  Congratulations to all who worked had to reach this goal!