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Taking into account the work on the harmonization of the orthographic
systems of the Cinyanja/Chichewa, Fulfulde, Hausa, Mandenkan, Kiswahili,
Setswana, Vehicular Cross-Border languages, ACALAN organized a workshop
on African languages and cyberspace in Niamey from 14 to 15 in December
2011. The workshop brought together researchers working on African
languages and cyberspace from Botswana, Djibouti, Kenya, and Nigeria. It
took stock of current work on African languages and cyberspace with special
reference to the vehicular cross-border languages mentioned here. One of the
recommendations of the workshop was that ACALAN should create space
on its website where researchers on African languages and cyberspace could
post information on current work. This would allow ACALAN to consolidate
the information and clearly define priority areas on which to focus its
activities. As of the outcomes of the workshop, ACALAN has commissioned
the development of spellcheckers to some of the researchers who participated
in the workshop. Apart from contributing towards according equitable space
to African languages in cyberspace, the spellchecker will allow to disseminate
the harmonized orthographic systems of the vehicular cross-border languages
mentioned above.
As mentioned above, it is also necessary to take into account the various
decisions, plans of actions and resolutions which directly and indirectly have
bearing on the efforts to develop, promote and use African languages in all
spheres of society, in particular:
• The Language Plan of Action for Africa;
• The Second Decade of Education for Africa;
• The Charter for African Cultural Renaissance;
• The Khartoum decision on the linkage between education and culture.
The use of African languages has been one of the major preoccupations of the
Organization of African Unity (now African Union) since its creation in 1963
in Addis Ababa, as indicated in Article XXIX of its founding charter stating
that “The working languages of the organization and all its institutions shall
be, if possible, African languages”. To render operational the resolutions
on languages, the Heads of State and Governments adopted resolution
AH/DEC8 establishing the OAU Inter-Bureau (OAU/BIL) during the 1966
summit held in Addis Ababa. This institution started its functions in 1972 in
Kampala under the directorship of the late Kahombo Mateene. In 1985, the
OAU/BIL convened a meeting of prominent linguists from Africa and beyond
to draft the Language Plan of Action for Africa. It was subsequently adopted
by the heads of state and governments through resolution C11/1123 (XLVI)
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