Linguistic Rights and the Challenge of Language Discrimination in Public Services
Dr Alieu SK Manjang
In 2017, following the elections of new members of the legislation chamber in The Gambia, I had my first direct conversation with a Member of Parliament (MP), Mr. Hassan Touray of Bakau. This conversation was necessitated by an unfortunate incident involving my wife and a senior nurse at the Bakau Health Center. The nurse, upon realizing that my wife could not respond in her preferred language, turned her back on her and our three-month-old child, choosing instead to attend to other patients. The intervention of Hon. Touray in addressing the matter earned him my respect, as it underscored a deep-rooted issue in our public service sector.
The practice of privileging certain languages in health facilities, particularly in the Greater Banjul Area, continues to deny many individuals the care and attention they deserve. A few weeks ago, a friend recounted a similar experience: his sick sister’s husband struggled to explain her condition to a nurse at Serrekunda Hospital, as the nurse insisted that he speak a particular language—one he did not know.
These instances reflect a broader societal issue extending beyond hospitals. In banks, government offices, and commercial establishments, customers and clients are often ignored, mistreated, or blamed for their inability to communicate in a specific language. In schools, students face ridicule and exclusion from their peers for not speaking the dominant local language.
This issue is deeply connected to the concept of linguistic rights, a critical area of sociolinguistics that has garnered increasing scholarly attention as societies become more multilingual and culturally diverse. To address these challenges, many public and private institutions worldwide prioritize hiring multilingual employees, and the media play a crucial role in promoting tolerance and respect for linguistic diversity. The right to speak one’s preferred language in public spaces should not be a barrier to receiving services or fair treatment.
Despite the recognition of linguistic rights as a fundamental human rights issue, prevailing language ideologies in The Gambia continue to justify discrimination, exclusion, and belittlement of individuals who do not speak a particular language. This is especially problematic when such a language is not even the most widely spoken in the area but is imposed based on social or political hierarchies.
As Gambians increasingly become aware of their linguistic and cultural identities, it is crucial for both government and private institutions—especially banks, hospitals, and schools—to adopt policies that promote linguistic inclusion. Hiring multilingual staff, providing professional training on language sensitivity, and ensuring that translation services are available in critical public institutions are essential steps toward fostering an inclusive society. Only by recognizing and respecting linguistic rights can we ensure that language does not become a tool of exclusion but rather a bridge for effective communication and equitable service delivery.
