The Old Algerian 2000 Dinars Banknote Was Not in French
The Claim
The new Algerian 2000 Dinars banknote replaced French with English.
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Emerging story
Several high-profile politicians and media figures have recently shared a claim purporting that the new Algerian banknote of 2000 Dinars has dropped out French and used English instead.
The claim is shared in several languages, mainly French.
While some users celebrated the replacement of French, others lamented it.
On the other hand, some media outlets and internet users claimed that French has never appeared on Algerian money bills.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating claim and found it to be misleading. The old 2000 Dinars banknotes did not have any writings in French Either.
The Previous Algerian 2000 Dinars Banknotes
Misbar’s team checked the previous 2000 Dinars banknotes and found that they did not have any writings in French either. While the new 2000 Dinars bill added English, it did not replace French because it was not used before. The previous bills can be seen below.
Moreover, Misbar searched for older banknotes of different value dating from the 1980s onward and found that Algerian bills had no French in them. Some different bills can be seen below.
Was French Ever Used in Algerian Banknotes?
Following the uproar regarding the use of English in Algerian money bills, the French television network TF1 published a fact-check claiming that “since the creation of the Algerian dinar in April 1964, the language of Molière has never appeared on the country's currency.”
Misbar also investigated the claim published in this fact-check and found it to be misleading.
French has, in fact, been used in previous Algerian money bills.
As can be seen below, older money bills that date back to 1964 have French transcriptions in them.
Algeria’s New 2000 Dinars Bill
The Bank of Algeria has issued a banknote commemorating the convention of the 31st Ordinary Session of the Council of the League of Arab States in Algeria and commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of Algeria’s independence. The bill can be seen below.
Algeria Moves From French to English
Algeria’s decision to gradually move from using French to using English has stirred heated debates, especially among the French and francophone politicians and intelligentsia.
During the last visit of the French President Emanuel Macron to Algeria, POLITICO reported the disappointment of France’s former ambassador to Algeria, Xavier Driencourt, after seeing the sign on Emmanuel Macron’s lectern in English instead of French.
Photo Description: President Emmanuel Macron and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (Le Monde)
“It’s very deliberate. It’s a message for France but also a way of telling the Algerian people that there’s nothing special about French, it’s a language like any other,” said Driencourt.
Earlier this year, Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune also announced that English will be taught at primary schools.
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