Wikimedians in Tamale For Conference on Preservation of Indigenous Languages
Open language advocates and Wikipedia volunteers from across Ghana have convened in Tamale for a three-day conference dubbed, the Ghanaian Language Wikimedia Meetup.
The gathering aims to reflect on the group’s achievements over the past year and strategize on further efforts to digitize and preserve indigenous and endangered languages.
With just five percent of the more than 7,000 languages spoken globally on the internet and an alarming rate of 3,045 languages facing extinction daily, the initiative is crucial.
Sadik Shahadu, Executive Director of Dagbanli Wikipedia, highlighted the importance of their mission, stating, “Our effort is to prevent the extinction of major Ghanaian languages by documenting them on the internet.”
Participants at the conference are focusing on documenting languages such as Dagbanli, Ewe, Twi, Fante, Dagaare, Grunli, Kusaal, and Moore. Supported by the Wikimedia Foundation, the group has made significant progress, successfully adding Twi, Dagbanli, Kusaal, Ewe and Fante to Wikipedia while others are in incubation.
This achievement allows both native and non-native speakers to access Wikipedia articles in these local languages, enhancing greater understanding and preservation of Ghana’s linguistic heritage.
The conference is expected to generate innovative ideas and collaborative strategies to further enhance the documentation and digital presence of Ghanaian languages, ensuring their survival for future generations.
