The future of African languages will not be secured by preserving them only in books, archives and cultural memory. They must also be used in news media, science and public life, and built into the data and artificial intelligence systems shaping the future.
That message took centre stage as the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Indigenous Language Media in Africa (ILMA) research entity marked its 10th anniversary with a two-day symposium at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre in Kempton Park on 25 and 26 August 2026.
Held under the theme “Legends of the past, present and tomorrow”, the symposium explored how indigenous language media can connect historical knowledge with current communication practices and the future of indigenous expression and identity.
ILMA was officially established in 2016. Its research has since covered African-language print, broadcasting and digital media, as well as journalism, democracy, development, political economy and indigenous communication systems.
Language and power
Speaking at the opening, Prof. Dumi Moyo, executive dean of the Faculty of Humanities, said the anniversary celebrated more than ILMA’s first decade. It also recognised a community of scholars whose work has helped establish indigenous language media as a field of academic inquiry.
Prof. Moyo said language remains closely linked to power across Africa, where colonial languages continue to dominate government, education, business and media. Indigenous language media therefore have a role in giving communities greater voice and recognition.
He said ILMA’s work has contributed to decolonising media studies and establishing indigenous languages as legitimate vehicles for knowledge production and public communication. He also acknowledged ILMA director Prof. Abiodun Salawu for helping move indigenous language media from a peripheral concern into a recognised academic field.
Messages of goodwill stream in
Support for ILMA’s work was also reflected during the opening ceremony.
Dr Keaobaka Seshoka, CEO of the Pan South African Language Board, delivered a goodwill message, followed by a goodwill message from Reggy Moalusi, executive director of the South African National Editors’ Forum. Prof. Mirna Nel, deputy dean for research and innovation in the Faculty of Humanities, also delivered a message.
The anniversary’s central challenge came from keynote speaker Prof. Monica Chibita of Uganda Christian University. Her address, “Preservation and more: Indigenous language media, social change and the African Knowledge Society”, argued that indigenous language media should no longer be viewed simply as tools for protecting languages from extinction.
Alive and growing
“Indigenous language media do something more than preserve. They allow people to participate in the present,” she said.
Prof. Chibita said indigenous languages enable people to engage with public policy, health, education, business and knowledge. Their importance will grow as algorithms and AI increasingly influence how people communicate and access information.
She called for “dynamic preservation”, keeping languages alive by using them in investigative journalism, climate science, public health, entrepreneurship, coding, data journalism and artificial intelligence.
Looking towards ILMA’s second decade, Prof. Chibita said African languages must be represented not only in content, but also “in the labs, in the code, in the data, in the standards and in the governance.”
After a decade of building scholarship around indigenous language media, ILMA now faces a new frontier. Its challenge is no longer simply to demonstrate that African languages have a place in modern communication, but to ensure they help shape the technologies, knowledge systems and media platforms of the future.
Photo: At the ILMA symposium are from left Reggy Moalosi, Prof. Abiodun Salawu, Prof. Monica Chibota, Prof. Dumi Moyo, Prof. Mirna Nel, Dr Kesaobaka Seshoka and Prof. Gilbert Motsaathebe.
