RC 25 takes African sociolinguistics seriously 
at the 2006 conference in Durban.
There is always something new out of Africa
David Brown 

Professor Bob Herbert’s contribution to African Sociolinguistics has been important and his last initiative as chair of RC 25 before going on to take on the burdensome position of the Provost of Ohio State University was to initiate in the parallel sessions on African sociolinguistics. Through the committee structures this became a focus on Language and Power in Africa, fittingly so at the ISA’s first ever international conference held on the African continent. The smaller size of the sociolinguistics initiative was enhanced by this considerably, as a result, we were able to expand our research committees initiatives by doing this. Papers on Africa were read in the main sessions but the special focus provided a well supported forum for debate and discussion on the complex sociolinguistic contexts of Africa..
         The discussion was chaired by Prof. Raj Meisthrie from University of Cape Town; papers were delivered on various aspects of language and power in a post colonial Africa. Professor Nkonko Kamwanagamalu spoke of the transition in language policy in Ruanda and the precariousness of languages in Africa and the role of new forms of cultural and social dominance that Africa faced. The full morning session allowed for stimulating debate and discussion and an interface of international sociology delegates with the social issues of language and society in Africa: A fitting contribution in which RC 25 members were able to engage with a wider variety of sociologists interested in language and social issues. This was  a way of paying respect to the importance of scholarship by African sociolinguistics and its strong relationship with international scholars in linguistics. Studies applied to sociolinguistic problems experienced in Africa have a great deal to contribute in the development of social theory and its relationship to sociolinguistics and complex social contexts for empirical study provide examples of considerable social interest.
           The debates in African post-colonial states and the coming a new social and economic order to Africa is in the form of the rise of the eastern powers and their economic interests in Africa. Renewed pressures on African society and its mineral wealth are bringing about social and cultural change which some have referred to as a “new “scramble for Africa. The forces that shaped the English, French and Portuguese language penetration and dominance of African people and their languages may be facing pressures of a new kind. Professor Kawangamalu speculated on the contention developing over the increasing role of English in Ruanda, a Francophone state, and asked the question of the potential role there might be for Mandarin Chinese in a new century of Africa’s relationship with the emerging economic giant.
          The key feature of the discussion was on the relationship of African languages with dominant languages and their role in education and social contexts of significance. Africa and language settings have been at the centre of research on code-switching and research in sociolinguistics in these settings has contributed to much of the theoretical debate in sociolinguistics. The South African Sociological Association managed to raise financial support for this session and support from the hard pressed African Academics to attend the ISA. African participation was, as a result, very real. It was a historic event and long overdue for a continent that has given so much empirical data of interest to so many sociolinguistic scholars. Let us keep African participation and its questions about language and society in the International Sociological Association and RC 25 for the ISA.