In the case of many African speakers, the process of reclaiming their language isn’t only tied to newly-launched books and dictionaries, but rather to other media. As noted by the writer, translator, and translation studies scholar Wangui wa Goro, the growing content available in those languages on the internet have the shape of songs, comics, and videos.
As she puts it, ordinary people have incorporated technical elements into their day-to-day lives and produced content as a result. They might record homemade videos on their own to upload on Youtube, or reach the point of using technical expertise to make a living as video-makers at weddings and celebrations. In the process, they are populating the web with different African languages.
Listen to the conversation about these new forms of decolonizing knowledge online and how they are present in African content in this episode.
