The case for indigenous language use and promotion takes centre stage at Pendoring Indigenous Languages Symposium
If wishes were horses, the UJ 2024 Pendoring Indigenous Languages Symposium would ride.
By Jojokhala C. Mei
This year’s roaring Pendoring Indigenous Languages Symposium at the University of Johannesburg Arts Centre last Tuesday morning 19 November 2024 drew a healthy variety of vocal stakeholders, and the public.
Take the SABC Pulse’’ Abongile Coki who invited all in the room to join him right after the symposium to set up a database of our South African indigenous language sensitized terminology and phrases to claim in sealed writing ownership of our languages before international conglomerates like Amazon who is mooting doing exactly that with our own isiZulu language. Just imagine that a local has long made the term ‘Chisa Nyama’ their intellectual property right under our noses; and we were beaten in the race to register SA as our designation on the worldwide web. Pity he was a stand-in speaker who may, or may not, have the authority to immediately implement his idea. Nevertheless, how refreshing it will be for all to move away from the fear of digital power, and bureaucratic inertia.
As if arguably the chief organizer itself, Pendoring, had foreseen in its opening address to cite that Artificial intelligence has been used to make translations into all official South African languages in only six minutes. A celebration song anyone, for those six minutes of waiting?
The theme of the symposium was expressly digital Innovation Implemented to promote still marginalized indigenous South African spoken, seen, or felt languages. No wonder no Afrikaans language project was cited present because Afrikaans still enjoys the residue of massive past state-backing in the likes of ATKV. And the enduring Pendoting advertising awards tonight, Thursday November 21, 2024, at the same venue will make the case for the language in 2024. The case for the first known inhabitants of South Africa sitting right next to me should have had a higher profile on stage and in this article, supplemented by an animated repeat mention by corporate communications academic and self-proclaimed ‘dialogic teacher’ Roela Hattingh.
Hopefully the expected presence of two national government departments plus the official Pan South African Languages Board translate into policy adaptations a.s.a.p. Pity that the absence of enough indigenous language(s) self-publishers was living proof of their continuing marginalisation. But vociferous famous kiddies’ books publisher Lebohang Masango of ‘Mpumi’s Beads’, and blistery published young poet Mak Manaka made up for it.
When all is said and done, why can’t AI simply introduce GPS readings and telephone instructions in our own languages to beat our own reluctance or fear of asserting our indigenous languages, especially for the sake of those of us who cannot understand English, Afrikaans, Arabic, Swedish, etc.