GRIOTS REPUBLIC - AN URBAN BLACK TRAVEL MAG - OCTOBER 2016

T R A V E L T E C H
YORUBA
Connecting the African Diaspora
through Language Apps
By Adebayo Adegbembo
African cultures are perhaps its largest
export to the world. As one born, bred
and living in Africa, some of the most
fascinating things I’ve learnt from traveling
across America, Europe and Latin
America relate to how much diversity
and richness African cultures add to the
world outside the continent. While this
can be traced back to the transatlantic
slave trade, it’s amazing to see African
heritage alive to this day and growing
as reflected in fashion, arts, entertainment
and other aspects of our connected
world.
However, there seems to be a contrast
between how much of these beauties
are attributed to Africa considering
they are buried under layers of stereotypes
such as war, famine and strife in
mainstream media. The effect of this
can be an identity crisis and disconnection
for Africans on the continent, the
African Diaspora and the larger world
who ought to take pride in our shared
heritage.
It’s within that context that I developed
the Yoruba101 app to make Yoruba
language and culture fun for people to
learn and appreciate. What started out
as an app to help my now 5-year-old
niece learn Yoruba language amidst the
declining interest among many like her
has now become a tool that connects
my global audience of customers to the
rich Yoruba culture.
Yoruba101 is an interactive Yoruba language-learning
app for children and
adult beginners to the language and
culture. The app is set in an adventurous
theme where the user is on a mission
to win the ultimate crown, hence
become a Yoruba101 legend. The path
to that crowning lies in the ultimate test
of his or her understanding of Yoruba
language presented in over a dozen lessons
and games. The lessons cover alphabet,
tones, body parts, greetings,
names of families, objects, animals
etc., alongside sentences showing their
everyday use.
First, the user is taken through each
lesson with a combination of voice,
graphic illustrations and animations.
The next step involves playing the corresponding
games for each lesson. When
a user successfully completes a game
flawlessly, he unlocks a special character,
many of which represent different
Yoruba deities such as Sango (God of
thunder), Osun (River Goddess), Oya