Itâ??s not something that Dr. Aliko Songolo, UW-Madison professor of French and Italian, but also African literature written in French, was expecting or even desired. In March, he had been informed that he had been named â??Chevalier dans lâ??Ordre des Palmes académiquesâ? â?? Knight in the Order of Academic Palms â?? by the French Ministry of Education. But once he received the honor, he didnâ??t mind having it at all.
While most of us born in the U.S. view Africa through an Anglophone lens, in part because of our long
history with Britain and the U.S. is predominantly an English-speaking country, it is French which is probably the more dominant language in Africa. â??French is the official government language of Congo as it is of some 20 African countries,â? Songolo said during an interview with The Capital City Hues. â??Ghana and Nigeria are completely surrounded by French-speaking countries.â?