AND THE FRENCH AREN'T FAR BEHIND:

Language ties unravel (The Ottawa Citizen, November 03, 2008)

Rwanda has announced that it is changing its language of instruction. No longer will students learn in French; now they'll learn in English instead.

It's likely the decision is, at least in part, politically motivated. It represents a break, not only with the country's history of Belgian rule, but with France, a country that many Rwandans associate with the old Hutu regime and the 1994 "genocidaires."

But the official reason is utility. "Introducing English is just being realistic," said senator Aloisea Inyumba. "English is the language of business."