By Gofaone Motsamai and Phenyo Mokgothu
In a world wired for global communication, local languages are falling silent.
This was the stark message during a recent public lecture hosted at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus, where policymakers and scholars addressed the growing threat to indigenous languages.
The lecture, held on 3 April and organised by the Indigenous Language Media in Africa (ILMA) research niche area, focused on how publishing, arts and media can contribute to language preservation.
North West MEC for Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation, Tsotso Tlhapi, delivered the keynote address and called for stronger national action. “Language is the soul of a people, the custodian of their heritage, and the thread that weaves together their history, culture and traditions. If we lose our languages, we lose ourselves.”
She noted that many South African languages face diminishing use due to globalisation and shifting cultural practices. “We cannot afford to watch helplessly as our languages disappear,” she said. “We must take deliberate and urgent steps to protect and promote them.”
The lecture served as a platform to examine how creative industries, including radio, television, books and digital media, can serve as tools for cultural continuity. MEC Tlhapi commended ILMA’s work in exploring the role of indigenous-language media. “If our languages are not spoken on radio, seen on television, published in books or reflected in digital spaces, they will cease to exist”
She urged content creators and publishers to take responsibility in amplifying indigenous languages. “We must tell our stories in our own voices, in our own languages. The world must know who we are through the languages that define us.”
Beyond cultural production, the MEC called on institutions and government departments to embed indigenous languages in education, governance and public policy. “It is not enough to talk about language preservation,” she said. “We need strong policies, funding and tangible initiatives that place indigenous languages at the centre of public life.”
The event concluded with a roundtable discussion involving students, academics and language activists who debated strategies to sustain linguistic diversity in daily life.
Prof Gilbert Motsaathebe, a research professor at ILMA, underscored the importance of the lecture in strengthening public discourse around language rights. “Bringing this conversation into the public space was essential,” he said. “We cannot rely on symbolic gestures. Real preservation begins when languages are treated as living, working tools of communication.”
North West MEC for Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation, Tsotso Tlhapi, spoke about how publishing, arts and media can contribute to language preservation.
