African mother tongues are experiencing a revival, driven by a new generation seeking to connect with their heritage and fueled by entrepreneurial ventures that translate cultural pride into economic opportunities. This resurgence challenges the dominance of colonial languages and aims to preserve linguistic diversity across the continent.
Across Africa, which is home to an estimated 1,500 to 3,000 languages, a growing number of initiatives are making indigenous languages accessible and relevant. In Nigeria, the television game show "Masoyinbo"—meaning "Do not speak English”—prioritizes Yoruba, one of the country's most widely spoken languages. The program tests contestants on their Yoruba language and culture, offering substantial cash prizes.
Host Olalekan Fabilola launched "Masoyinbo" in 2024 and believes its popularity reflects a broader cultural reawakening. "People want to go back to their roots. Everyone wants to know why, where they are from, and so it's timely," he stated.
Bridging Generations and Continents
For many in the African diaspora, reconnecting with ancestral languages is becoming easier through modern technology. Nyashadzashe Machingura, a Canadian millennial, has been learning Shona, the vernacular language of Zimbabwe, from a tutor based 8,000 miles away. Initially feeling excluded when her family spoke Shona, she now engages in longer conversations with her grandparents, fostering a deeper connection to her heritage.
Her Zimbabwe-based tutor, Shungu Chidovi, left a banking career to establish ZimbOriginal, an online platform teaching Shona. The initiative uses storytelling, book clubs, and language exchange partnerships to engage approximately two dozen learners across countries including Canada, Australia, and South Africa. ZimbOriginal charges $50 per month, representing a growing trend of online businesses dedicated to teaching African languages.
Chidovi's venture began organically when readers of her blog on Zimbabwean traditions inquired about Shona lessons. She noted that many, like herself, were raised with the understanding that proficiency in Western languages was crucial for advancement, a notion inherited from the colonial era. In Zimbabwe, English remains the primary language for education, business, and government, despite the nation officially recognizing 16 Indigenous languages.
Digital Divide and Revitalization Efforts
Experts highlight the challenge of integrating African languages into the digital sphere. Believe Mubonderi, a linguistics lecturer at Zimbabwe Open University, emphasizes the need for African languages to be incorporated into the technologies that shape modern communication, learning, and trade. "In most cases, African languages were sidelined. They were never exposed or modernized to be used in commerce, science and technology," Mubonderi explained. "When a language has a very low status, there's a danger that that language eventually becomes endangered."
UNESCO reports that only about 10 languages dominate the global internet ecosystem, with fewer than 2% of African languages having a significant online presence. This lack of digital data hinders the training of artificial intelligence systems for these languages.
However, international and continental bodies are supporting revitalization efforts. The African Union adopted Kiswahili as an official working language in 2022, boosting its profile. The United Nations proclaimed 2022-2032 the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, with organizations like the AU and UNESCO backing initiatives to document and modernize languages, including the use of AI for creating educational materials.
The growing interest, particularly among younger members of the diaspora, is evident on social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok, where numerous efforts are underway to revive and promote African languages. "People of African descent have come to realize that we also have our own identity which we need to embrace and be proud of," Mubonderi observed. "Younger diaspora Africans are trying by all means to revive, to revitalize, to make use of these languages."
Tomi Adeshokan, a New Jersey resident learning Yoruba, highlighted the importance of cultural immersion. "It's very important for us to immerse ourselves in our culture and not to fully identify with other cultures, like the American, the Western culture," she said.