The Participants at the African Regional Meeting on the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages
SUMMARY OF
THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE AFRICAN REGIONAL MEETING ON THE 2019 INTERNATIONAL
YEAR OF INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES ( IYIL)
(Chaired by
Dr Lang Fafa Dampha, Ag. Executive Secretary, ACALAN)
Speakers:
·
H.E. Ms Amira El Fadil, Commissioner for Social
Affairs of the African Union Commission
·
Mr Yaya Sangaré, Minister of Communication
(Mali)
·
Ms Ana Elisa Santana Afonso, Director and Representative
of UNESCO Addis Ababa Liaison Office
·
Mr Yahya Al-Matarr Jobe, Deputy Permanent Delegate and Counselor, Permanent Delegation of the
Gambia to UNESCO and Representative of the Electoral Group of African Member
States to the Steering Committee for the Organization of the 2019 International
Year of Indigenous Languages (Gambia)
·
Mr Mohamed Handaine, President, The Indigenous
Peoples of African Co-ordinating Committee (IPACC), Director of the Center for
Historical and Environmental Amazigh Studies, the President of the
Confederation of Amazigh Associations in Southern Morocco, and Indigenous
Member of the Steering Committee of the 2019 International Year of Indigenous
Languages, (Morocco)
·
Ms Dorothy Gordon, Chair of UNESCO
Intergovernmental Information for All Programme (IFAP)
The African Regional Meeting on the 2019 international Year of
Indigenous Languages ( IYIL) was well attended by national,
regional and international participants who represent their national
governments, Indigenous leaders, Elders and Youth, Indigenous peoples’
organizations, civil society, members of non-governmental organizations, academics
and researchers, international cooperation organizations and youth from Africa
region.
The Master of Ceremonies,
Gambian author and scholar Dr Lang Fafa Dampha, Ag. Executive Secretary of the
African Academy of Languages (ACALAN) under the auspices of the African Union
(AU) in his introductory remarks welcomed the participants and thanked them for
choosing to participate in the African Regional Meeting on the 2019
International Year of Indigenous Languages and highlighted the importance of
formulating a draft document in the implementation of Resolution 71/178 of the
United Nations General Assembly.
·
He raised the expectations of the participants as generally
matched with the objectives of the four phases of the meeting. Expectations
tended towards knowledge and effective participation of indigenous language
speakers and UNESCO in the formulation of a draft document on the and a
Strategic Action Document. He delved deeply in particular on the need for
establishing a tentative roadmap towards achieving strategic objectives and
expected impacts through the elaboration of a Global Strategic Outcomes
Document. He
indicated that the objectives of the meeting were on the same line with the
vision of the founding fathers of the African Union, who believed in the
promotion and the development of African languages;
·
He mentioned that languages
are not only our first medium for communication but also are at the heart of
each person’s unique identity, cultural history and memory;
·
The presenter mentioned that African
union through ACALAN has been investing in both human and non-human resources
so as to develop African languages with the view of empowering speakers and
users;
·
Pointed out that ACALAN has
been given the power of developing and promoting African languages alongside
languages inherited from colonial power in the perspective of linguistic
diversity and convivial multilingualism;
a. Opening Remarks
·
Ms Ana Elisa Santana Afonso, Director
and Representative of UNESCO Addis Ababa Liaison Office, in her welcoming remark tasked the
participants to come up with a comprehensive strategic document that allowed
for greater interaction and acknowledge a critical status of indigenous
languages around the world. She welcomed the participants on behalf of the African
Union and the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. Welcomed all the participants, including the representative of the Embassy
of Ethiopia to the meeting. It has been indicated that everyone should get
involved in the promotion and the development of indigenous languages as the
description of these languages has always been a big challenge because the
situation of the indigenous people is not the same in African countries; it has
also been highlighted that African languages should be developed in order that
they may be used in the domain of Arts, culture, music, administration and
political domains as it is signaled in the agenda 2036. The presenter indicated
the necessity of mobilizing adequate resources in order to develop and promote
Indigenous languages; it is for this reason 700 events have already been
registered for the sake of developing these languages. The presenter mentioned
that a series of regional consultation has been carried out by UNESCO so as to
identify indigenous languages and she mentioned that regional meeting would put
together African views in order to revitalize indigenous languages;
Finally, the ACALAN Executive Secretary of ACALAN, Dr Lang Fafa Dampha
put stress on the speech of the presenter by saying that the importance of the
meeting was to raise the global awareness on the importance of the indigenous
languages for sustainable development, peace-building and reconciliation for
social welfare of Africa.
Statement by the Deputy Permanent Delegate and Counselor, Permanent Delegation of the
Gambia to UNESCO and Representative of the Electoral Group of African Member
States to the Steering Committee for the Organization of the 2019 International
Year of Indigenous Languages (Gambia)
Seated left in white is Dr Lang Fafa Dampha, Ag. Executive Secretary of the African Academy of Languages (ACALAN) and seated in black suit is Hon. Mr. Yahya Al-Matarr Jobe,
the Deputy Permanent Delegate and Counselor, Permanent Delegation of the
Gambia to UNESCO and Representative of the Electoral Group of African Member
States to the Steering Committee for the Organization of the 2019 International
Year of Indigenous Languages (Gambia)
Honorable Yahya Al-Matarr Jobe,
the Deputy Permanent Delegate and Counselor, Permanent Delegation of the
Gambia to UNESCO and Representative of the Electoral Group of African Member
States to the Steering Committee for the Organization of the 2019 International
Year of Indigenous Languages (Gambia), in his opening remark reiterated on the
establishment of the Steering Committee and stated that UNESCO invited its
Member States to nominate a country from each regional group to be a member of
this Committee. Hon Jobe revealed that Australia, Ecuador, Estonia, France, The
Gambia and Saudi Arabia are the countries nominated as representatives of the
Six UN socio-cultural regions. And said that Australia and France have been
nominated the two Co-Chairs on behalf of the Member States. Hon. Jobe thanked UNESCO for
its commitment and leadership in the implementation of the International Year
of Indigenous languages 2019. He indicated that for the organization of the International
Year 2019, a preparatory process for the elaboration of the action plan was
launched in 2018, with the interest of all stakeholders and pointed out that
for the establishment of the Steering Committee, UNESCO asked member states to
nominate a country from each regional group to be in the committee. No one has
been left behind. He informed the assembly about the ten Steering Meetings
which have already been held, several awareness-raising as well as capacity
building initiatives have already been carried out at different levels (regional,
national and international).
Hon. Jobe who is the only African selected to represent the whole of
Africa in the Global Steering Committee gave a major priority to The Gambia as
the host country of the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages. He
thereafter indicated that much progress has been made towards the elaboration
of a global strategic outcome document that would set the path the development
of long-term plan in policy making in the domain of indigenous languages; Informed
the assembly about the endorsement of the proposal for proclaiming a decade of
indigenous language; He finally
indicated that Gambia, together with other members of the steering committee
will make all the efforts to support the possible endorsement of the outcome
document at UNESCO Executive board, so as to bring further attention and
mobilize stakeholders for the promotion and support of indigenous languages
worldwide.
Agreeing with us that not much has changed in the education curricular of Africa, Resolution 71/178 of the United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages (IYL 2019) and entrusted UNESCO as the United Nations specialised agency dealing with Education, Science and Culture to act as lead agency for the organisation of the year.
The Gambian youths therefore have an important role to play in helping the education sector- by encouraging their peers to read and write in their mother-tongues, in order to preserve our rich African cultures and languages, widen their readership, and to promote the habit of reading among youths and marginalised groups. Once more people are seen reading African language books at home or in public places, school children and the youth, especially students would be attracted to reading African books. In this anthology, we will deal with the role of Gambian youths in the harmonization of Africa's many spoken languages and cultures, in promoting an inclusive development, the future of the book as a cultural product, and the promotion of reading among youths. The THEME of the call is : ‘‘The Harmonization of Africa's Many Spoken Languages: The Role of Gambian Youths. ’’
Mr Modou
Lamin Age-Almusaf Sowe, Founder of the Young Writers’ Association of The
Gambia at the Regional Meeting
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