Editing German language (section)

===Africa===
====Namibia====
{{Main|German language in Namibia}}
[[File:WindhoekBaeckereiCarstensen.jpg|thumb|Bilingual German-English sign at a bakery in [[Namibia]], where German is a national language]]
Namibia also was a [[German South-West Africa|colony]] of the German Empire, from 1884 to 1915. About 30,000 people still speak German as a native tongue today, mostly [[German Namibians|descendants of German colonial settlers]].<ref name="nmh-2007">{{Cite news |last=Fischer |first=Stefan |date=18 August 2007 |title=Deutsch in Namibia |url=http://www.az.com.na/fileadmin/pdf/2007/deutsch_in_namibia_2007_07_18.pdf |language=de |trans-title=German in Namibia |work=Allgemeine Deutsche Zeitung |publisher=[[Namibia Media Holdings]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624233949/http://www.az.com.na/fileadmin/pdf/2007/deutsch_in_namibia_2007_07_18.pdf |archive-date=24 June 2008}}</ref> The period of German colonialism in Namibia also led to the evolution of a Standard German-based [[pidgin]] language called "[[Namibian Black German]]", which became a second language for parts of the indigenous population. Although it is nearly extinct today, some older Namibians still have some knowledge of it.{{sfn|Deumert|2003|pp=561–613}}

German remained a ''de facto'' official language of Namibia after the end of German colonial rule alongside English and [[Afrikaans]], and had ''de jure'' co-official status from 1984 until its independence from South Africa in 1990. However, the Namibian government perceived Afrikaans and German as symbols of [[apartheid]] and colonialism, and decided English would be the sole official language upon independence, stating that it was a "neutral" language as there were virtually no English native speakers in Namibia at that time.<ref name="nmh-2007" /> German, Afrikaans, and several indigenous languages thus became "national languages" by law, identifying them as elements of the cultural heritage of the nation and ensuring that the state acknowledged and supported their presence in the country.

Today, Namibia is considered to be the only German-speaking country outside of the ''Sprachraum'' in Europe.<ref name="nmh-2007" /> German is used in a wide variety of spheres throughout the country, especially in business, tourism, and public signage, as well as in education, churches (most notably the German-speaking [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (GELK)]]), other cultural spheres such as music, and media (such as German language radio programs by the [[Namibian Broadcasting Corporation]]). The {{lang|de|[[Allgemeine Zeitung (Namibia)|Allgemeine Zeitung]]}} is one of the three biggest newspapers in Namibia and the only German-language daily in Africa.<ref name="nmh-2007" />

====Rest of Africa====
An estimated 12,000 people speak German or a German variety as a first language in South Africa, mostly originating from different waves of immigration during the 19th and 20th centuries.<ref name="L1eur">[[Template:German L1 speakers outside Europe|German L1 speakers outside Europe]]</ref> One of the largest communities consists of the speakers of "Nataler Deutsch",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.safrika.org/natal_en.html |title=Natal Germans |last=Schubert |first=Joachim |website=German South African Resource Page |access-date=2 August 2016 |archive-date=29 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129161855/http://www.safrika.org/natal_en.html |url-status=live }}</ref> a variety of [[Low German]] concentrated in and around [[Wartburg, KwaZulu-Natal|Wartburg]]. The South African constitution identifies German as a "commonly used" language and the [[Pan South African Language Board]] is obligated to promote and ensure respect for it.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gov.za/documents/constitution/chapter-1-founding-provisions#5 |title=Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 – Chapter 1: Founding Provisions |website=South African Government |access-date=18 July 2016 |archive-date=28 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028043044/http://www.gov.za/documents/constitution/chapter-1-founding-provisions#5 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Cameroon]] was also a [[Kamerun|colony]] of the [[German Empire]] from the same period (1884 to 1916). However, German was replaced by French and English, the languages of the two successor colonial powers, after its loss in [[World War I]]. Nevertheless, since the 21st century, German has become a popular foreign language among pupils and students, with 300,000 people learning or speaking German in Cameroon in 2010 and over 230,000 in 2020.<ref>[https://www.goethe.de/resources/files/pdf204/bro_deutsch-als-fremdsprache-weltweit.-datenerhebung-2020.pdf Goethe Insitut - "Deutsch als Fremdsprache weltweit. Datenerhebung 2020"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610081413/https://www.goethe.de/resources/files/pdf204/bro_deutsch-als-fremdsprache-weltweit.-datenerhebung-2020.pdf |date=10 June 2023 }}.</ref> Today Cameroon is one of the African countries outside Namibia with the highest number of people learning German.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bathe |first=Dirk |date=2010-11-29 |title=Deutsch für die Zukunft |trans-title=When German means future |url=https://www.dw.com/de/wenn-deutsch-gleich-zukunft-heißt/a-5070255 |website=DW |language=de-DE |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230719161346/https://www.dw.com/de/wenn-deutsch-gleich-zukunft-hei%C3%9Ft/a-5070255 |archive-date= Jul 19, 2023 }}</ref>