The 2024 Indigenous Language Imbizo: Fostering Multilingualism
By CityLife Arts Writer
The Pendoring Indigenous Language Imbizo, taking place on Tuesday 19 November 2024 from 9:00 to 12:00 at the UJ Arts Centre, Kingsway Campus, is set to celebrate the significance of indigenous languages in South Africa. This event is freely accessible to the public, but you need to reserve a ticket. It will bring together a diverse group of thought leaders, educators and tech innovators to explore the vital role that indigenous languages play in fostering cultural identity and social cohesion in a multicultural South Africa.
With a focus on technology, digital storytelling, and media, this year’s Imbizo emphasises the importance of preserving indigenous languages in the digital age. This aligns with the broader mission of the 2024 Pendoring Awards: to celebrate and promote multilingualism, creativity, and innovation across South Africa’s linguistic landscape. The 2024 Imbizo reflects the work of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages programme – a platform founded as the result of a UN resolution to preserve, promote and uplift indigenous languages worldwide.
The 2024 Pendoring Imbizo is one of the events of this decade-long initiative, setting the tone for a conversation centred around the importance of indigenous dialogues.
What you can expect
The Indigenous Language Imbizo attendees can expect dynamic, thought-provoking discussions and presentations by top industry professionals, centring around a variety of themes including the place of indigenous languages in the digital world, the ever-changing indigenous language news landscape, showcases of exciting projects working to promote the use of indigenous languages in South Africa, and more.
The event will also feature presentations by finalists from the Indigenous Language Tech Challenge, highlighting innovative solutions for language preservation.
The Pendoring Indigenous Language Imbizo is free to attend, but seats are limited. Secure your spot today by booking here: https://bit.ly/48NmBbh
Looking forward: The Pendoring Awards
Following the Imbizo, all eyes will be on the prestigious Pendoring Awards, taking place on 21 November. As South Africa’s premier platform for promoting multilingual creativity in advertising and media, the Awards celebrate the power of language in storytelling and communication. The Awards and Imbizo together are a reflection of Pendoring’s ongoing commitment to preserving and promoting indigenous languages across all sectors.
For more information, visit the Pendoring website at pendoring.co.za/
The Pendoring Indigenous Language Imbizo is a proud partner of UNESCO, the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), the Association of Independent Publishers (AIP), the Multilingual Language Services Office of the University of Johannesburg (MLSO), and SABC.