Digital Horizons: Revitalising Africa's indigenous tongues in the silicon age

Abstract

In the whirlwind of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), where algorithms and apps relentlessly redefine human connection, the fate of Africa's Indigenous languages hangs in a precarious and poignant balance. They stand at a digital crossroads, facing the dual threats of global linguistic homogenization and the existential risk of being rendered obsolete in the very mediums that shape modern consciousness. It is into this fraught and urgent fray that Digital Media and the Preservation of Indigenous Languages in Africa: Toward a Digitalized and Sustainable Society, deftly edited by Fulufhelo Oscar Makananise and Shumani Eric Madima, makes its timely and critical intervention. This ambitious collection assembles a powerful chorus of African scholars from diverse corners of the continent to dissect a central paradox of our time: how digital tools can either bury these languages under the weight of a globalised English or hoist them into vibrant, interactive, and sustainable life