Pre-colonial Upper Volta was multilingual before its encounter with the West. Despite the
linguistic colonization epitomized by Pierre FONCIN (HARDY, 1917), the country remains rich in its
linguistic heritage. The French language, imposed with all its prestige and enchanting linguasphere, has
not eradicated the diversity of languages. Several political regimes have succeeded one another. While
some have praised FONCIN’s policy, others have tried to promote Burkinabe languages. Rural
education, commando literacy, imposed or negotiated bilingual education, translation, interpretation,
linguistic laws covering all aspects of Burkinabe citizens’ lives, and laws on the modalities of
officialization and promotion of national languages, supported by language structures, have marked
the linguistic landscape of the country. After more than half a century of political independence, where
do we stand? What lessons can we draw for a real revitalization of languages? To answer these
questions, a qualitative study supported by documentary analysis was necessary to collect the data
analyzed within the framework of sociolinguistics. Our objectives were to determine, after describing
and interpreting the different language policies, the lessons that could establish a revitalization of these
languages. We hypothesize that synthesizing these experiences would make the country’s language-
cultures Would make more vital the country’s language-cultures which are factors of sustainable
participatory endogenous development

language policies, revitalization, sustainable development