In a keynote address that blended history, policy insight and a stirring vision for the future, Dr. Lang Fafa Dampha, Executive Director of the Pan-African Centre for Cultures and Languages (PACCL), delivered a compelling speech at the Virtual Indaba of the African Partnerships Universities Alliance (APUA). His theme, “Harnessing the Power of African Languages in Academic Collaboration,” resonated deeply with university leaders, scholars and education policymakers across the continent.
Speaking from a place of personal experience and institutional leadership, Dr. Dampha described the continued marginalisation of African languages in higher education as a profound injustice. Recalling his own childhood in
The Gambia, he shared a haunting memory of being punished for speaking his mother tongue in school. “I was made to wear the ‘horn’, a symbol, their symbol of stupidity,” he said, “simply for speaking in my mother tongue.”
This anecdote, though painful, underscored a broader truth. For decades, African languages have been treated as relics or obstacles rather than resources for education, research and innovation. Yet, Dr. Dampha’s message was ultimately one of hope and action.
“Africa stands at a pivotal juncture,” Dr. Dampha said. “The languages we valorise are not neutral tools. They are vessels of worldview, memory and identity. Language is power, and who gets to speak, publish and teach in which language is a matter of justice.”
He argued that academic collaboration across Africa must no longer be dictated solely by colonial languages like English, French, Portuguese or Spanish. While acknowledging the practical utility of these languages, Dr. Dampha urged institutions to consider what is lost when African languages are excluded from research, teaching and policy discourse. “We lose authenticity. We lose access to communities. We lose the chance to define development on our own terms,” he said.
As former Executive Secretary of ACALAN, the specialised language agency of the African Union, Dr. Dampha shared real-life examples of how language inclusion is already transforming sectors. ACALAN has created 22 Vehicular Cross-border Language Commissions, established African Languages Week and launched digital initiatives like the Interactive Platform for African Languages. “We developed the Pan-African Master’s and PhD Programme in African Languages and Applied Linguistics. We also launched a Terminology and Lexicography Project, and established a youth committee to empower African languages for the 21st century,” he added.
These programmes, he said, are shifting perceptions from seeing African languages as outdated, to viewing them as critical assets in diplomacy, governance, and innovation.
Dr. Dampha outlined five key opportunities for APUA and partner universities: (i) support for joint research in African languages, (ii) multilingual conferences and journals, (iii) cross-border fellowships based on shared African languages, (iv) training for staff across disciplines, and
(v) stronger policy advocacy at national and continental levels.
However, he acknowledged that serious challenges remain. These include limited funding, lack of platforms for indigenous-language scholarship and policy disconnects between education ministries and universities. “There are also lingering misconceptions that African languages cannot support scientific or technical disciplines. But these are not insurmountable. The path forward is difficult, but it is clear,” he stated.
A highlight of Dr. Dampha’s speech was his discussion of Ubuntu, a philosophy common in East and Southern Africa, loosely translated as “I am because we are.” He connected Ubuntu to similar concepts across the continent, such as Maaya in Mali or Hadamaya in The Gambia.
“These concepts, rooted in African languages, carry cultural meanings and ways of knowing often missing in Western academic frameworks. They offer new pathways for research in health, environmental science, conflict resolution and more,” he said. By building research collaboration around such indigenous concepts, African scholars can generate knowledge that is locally relevant and globally significant.
To further support his case, Dr. Dampha pointed to Kiswahili in the East African Community as a model of success. As a working language in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the DRC, Kiswahili has enabled cross-border academic mobility, joint research and educational policy alignment. “Universities like Makerere and the University of Dar es Salaam have built strong Kiswahili-based programmes that demonstrate how language strengthens rather than hinders collaboration,” he said.
He also cited the European Union as an example from outside Africa, showing that regional integration can thrive with linguistic diversity, provided there is investment in translation, interpretation and multilingual publication.
Dr. Dampha ended his keynote with a powerful challenge. “Are we building a higher education system that reflects the voices, realities and aspirations of Africa’s people?” he asked.
He urged universities to stop seeing African languages as problems to be solved and instead treat them as possibilities to be unlocked. “Let us use them to build stronger bridges between institutions, empower our students and shape a future where Africa speaks not in borrowed voices, but in its own authentic, powerful and multilingual voice,” he concluded.
In this age of digital transformation and global knowledge exchange, Dr. Dampha’s message was both timely and necessary. It reminded all present that language is not only a medium of communication, it is a mirror of identity, and when African languages are given space to thrive, the entire continent stands to gain.
Professionals specialising in African languages often struggle to secure decent employment, a challenge that underscores the need to attach economic value to indigenous languages, argued Dr. Lang Fafa Dampha during a lively Q&A session at the APUA Indaba.
Responding to concerns about career prospects for African linguists, Dr. Dampha stressed that language preservation cannot succeed unless speakers can earn a sustainable livelihood from their expertise. “People must be able to feed, clothe, and shelter their families as professionals of African languages,” he said. “Without economic incentives, even the most passionate advocates will struggle to sustain their work.”
To illustrate how African languages can gain prominence, Dr. Dampha pointed to Kiswahili, which has been formally recognised by the African Union as a Working Language and Language of Wider Communication in Africa. “The selection of Kiswahili was not arbitrary,” he explained. “ACALAN and AU member states rigorously evaluated criteria such as the number of speakers, its presence in education systems, media, and literature, and its neutrality, unlike many languages with strong tribal associations.” Kiswahili’s growing role in trade, diplomacy, and academia makes it a prime example of how an African language can transition from cultural preservation to economic empowerment. Dr. Dampha urged universities to prioritise Swahili as a lingua franca for sub-Saharan Africa, facilitating cross-border collaboration in research, business, and governance.
However, Dr. Dampha cautioned that language promotion cannot rely on grassroots efforts alone. Strong political will and national policy reforms are essential. “The Language Plan of Action for Africa provides a framework, but implementation depends on governments integrating African languages into formal education, civil service, and digital economies,” he said. “We need ministries to mandate the use of indigenous languages in official communications, just as Kiswahili is used in East African parliaments and courts.”
To make linguistic careers viable, Dr. Dampha proposed:
i. Government and private sector roles for translators, interpreters, and terminologists.
ii. Digital content creation in African languages for media, tech, and e-learning platforms.
iii. Research funding for scholars studying indigenous knowledge systems.
iv. Cultural industries, such as publishing and film, that leverage African languages for global audiences.
“Imagine a world where a Hausa linguist can work in AI localisation, a Fulfulde expert can consult for multinational corporations, or a Swahili teacher is in high demand across borders,” he said. “This is achievable, if we treat African languages as assets, not relics.”
Dr. Dampha’s message was clear: For African languages to survive and thrive, they must be economically empowering. Universities, governments, and industries must collaborate to create opportunities that make linguistic expertise not just culturally significant, but financially rewarding.
As the Indaba concluded, the challenge remained: Will Africa invest in its languages as tools of the future, or let them fade into the past?