June 16 is a public holiday in South Africa that reminds us of the uprising of black high school children against the imposition of Afrikaans as a language of instruction at schools by the apartheid government. Language served as a key trigger of their struggle. Today, South Africans can be proud about their 12 official…
Friday, 3 June 2022 ATTENTION: The British High Commissioner to South Africa Dear Mr Phillipson, Our citizens travelling to the UK from European destinations must fill in a general knowledge questionnaire in Afrikaans to demonstrate that they are South African. These allegations were confirmed in various social media posts and by numerous news platforms. …
Sobantu Nqayi is an actor whose face has graced South African and global screens as far as Australia and the United States. He is a regular on South African television commercials. Sobantu Nqayi plays Nceba on BET Africa’s daily drama, Isono. His debut role was on Forced to Love, an SABC1 drama series. He is…
Please join us as we celebrate International Mother Tongue Month with South African filmmakers who use indigenous languages in their storytelling. Siki Dlanga (ILAF) in conversation with Sobantu Nqayi (Actor & multilingual comedian), Deidre Jantjies (First Nama language filmmaker), Lukhanyo Calata (Journalist & Documentary filmmaker), Zandi Kula (Documentary filmmaker in isiXhosa), Oratile Gabaphethe (Scriptwriter…
PRESIDENT MAYA LAUDED FOR CASTING SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN LANGUAGES For immediate release The Indigenous Languages Action Forum (ILAF) welcomes Supreme Court of Appeal President, Mandisa Maya’s call for the development of an informed language policy for the courts that would facilitate the use of all our official languages in the legal sector. Maya is one…
A new isiXhosa – maths dictionary has been launched. Illustrated by the National Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), the dictionary comes as a response to the fact that most learners learn Mathematics in English, which is not their home language. This, they said, results in them taking time to translate into isiXhosa each concept taught…
The South African Literary Awards (SALA) inaugurated the Regional Poet Prize on the International African Writers’ Day, 7th November 2021, at a virtual ceremony held in Johannesburg. Ronelda Kamfer and Themba Patrick Magaisa, won the coveted prize. The two poets laureate, who write in Afrikaans and Xitsonga were awarded this prestigious prize for their groundbreaking…
The vice-chairperson for ILAF, Dr Zakeera Docrat has recently been awarded the most outstanding emerging researcher award in Southern Africa at the African Languages Association of Southern Africa’s annual conference last week. The recognition was for active contribution to research around the role of African languages in the legal system, which includes her handbook…
Igalelo athe walenza kulwimi lesiXhosa yinto engenakuphikiswa, kungoku nje iRhodes University eMakhanda imwongile ngomsebenzi wakhe. UGqirhalwazi Noxolo Grootboom uthweswe isidanga esiyiHonorary Doctorate yeDoctor of Letters (D. Litt) yiYunivesithi iRhodes, eMakhanda. Esi sidanga sale yunivesithi yindlela yokumbulela ngomsebenzi omkhulu athe wawenza ukuphuhlisa ilwimi lesiXhosa kumabonakude. Isekela-ngqonyela lale yunivesithi u Gqr. Sizwe Mabizela uthe isizwe…
The conversation between Koketso Sachane, Mapelo Tlowane and Thando Mahlangu continues in episode 2 discussing the importance of promoting and preserving our languages.