Algerian culture ministry latest to shun French as official language

Culture minister Soraya Mouloudji ordered that Arabic replace French as the language of official correspondence as ties between Algeria and France continue to stagnate.
1 min read
03 April, 2022
Ties between Algeria and France collapsed in October [Alain Pitton/NurPhoto via Getty]

Algeria's culture ministry has shed French as the language of official correspondence, as ties between the country and its former colonial power continue to stagnate.

Culture minister Soraya Mouloudji ordered on 30 March that Arabic replace French as the language of official correspondence for the ministry, according to the statement posted to Facebook on Saturday.

Relations between Algeria and France have been strained for much of the six decades since the former French colony won its independence after a 130-year occupation.

Ties collapsed in October after French president Emmanuel Macron accused Algeria's "political-military system" of rewriting history and fomenting "hatred towards France".

That same month, Algeria's youth and sports, vocational education and training, and labour ministries banned the use of French in their official correspondence.

Paris decided to sharply reduce visa quotas for citizens of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia last September.

Algeria's national languages are Arabic and Tamazight, but most ministries use French in their correspondence and statements.

Campaigners in Algeria's neighbour state Morocco, a former protectorate of France, have called for Rabat to ditch French as the first official foreign language in favour of English.