Multilingualism and multiculturalism are vehicles that could be used to promote and preserve cultural identities in Cameroon and South Africa given their rich historical and cultural backgrounds. This paper investigates their role in both countries. South Africa has eleven official languages with ‘equitable’ status while Cameroon has two. With over 247 indigenous languages spoken in Cameroon, the Constitution stipulates and maintains English and French as the official languages and mention is only made of the promotion of national languages. This study is mainly qualitative. Data was collected through a questionnaire and semi-structured face-to-face interviews conducted in Douala, Cameroon and Mafikeng, South Africa. The study is intended to contribute guidelines on the importance of multilingualism and multiculturalism in Cameroon and South Africa. It is suggested that the Cameroon government should take a leaf from the dynamic multilingual practices of the South African linguistic landscape to ensure that national languages are used in all sectors of the Cameroonian economy.

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