This year’s Day was celebrated under the theme, “From oral to written: Making Soninke a language of production, learning and creation in the 21st century.” This marked a shift towards concrete action on teaching Soninke, a language spread out across the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Sierra Leone, and integrating it into digital environments.
Children learn best in a language they understand, and a language that cannot be typed, searched or translated will struggle to reach the next generation.
Lidia Arthur BritoUNESCO Assistant Director-General for Priority Africa and External Relations
The day opened with remarks from UNESCO, Member States from the Africa Group, and the Association for the Promotion of the Soninke Language and Culture. Discussions focused on language policy and the transition to writing, including an examination of multilingualism in the digital age and what is needed to ensure Soninke has a place in an increasingly AI-driven world.
