Celebrating the Importance of Indigenous Languages in Literature and Storytelling

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Overview

World Book and Copyright Day is a celebration to promote and encourage the enjoyment of books and reading. It is celebrated annually all over the world, on 23 April. This year's celebration of "Indigenous Languages" is a call to recognize the importance of preserving and promoting the use of native languages in literature and storytelling. It serves as an opportunity to showcase the rich cultural heritage and diversity that exists within these languages and to encourage their use in creative expression. The theme also underscores the need for increased efforts to protect and revitalize these languages, which are often threatened.

In the realm of promoting diversity in languages, Wikimedia projects play a significant role as an open-source platform that supports and encourages the documentation and dissemination of knowledge in various languages, including indigenous languages. By providing a collaborative space for contributors from different linguistic backgrounds. The celebration of indigenous languages in literature and storytelling aligns with the goals of Wikimedia projects by acknowledging the importance of linguistic diversity and encouraging the inclusion of indigenous languages in Wiki platforms. It recognizes that every language has unique knowledge, stories, and perspectives to offer, and by incorporating these languages into Wikimedia projects, a broader range of voices and narratives can be shared with the world. Initiatives like the Ig Wiki Librarians Hub exemplify the collaborative efforts to broaden storytelling by translating books from English Wikipedia to Igbo, thereby contributing to the enrichment of indigenous languages and the dissemination of knowledge in local languages.

Focus

The event aims to celebrate the importance of indigenous languages, particularly Igbo, in literature and storytelling. Through the translation of books, participants will contribute to the preservation, promotion, and revitalization of the Igbo language, while also fostering cultural representation, knowledge dissemination, collaboration, and community building within the Igbo-speaking community. The specific focus of this event is:

  1. Raise Awareness: Participants will learn about Wikimedia projects and how these projects promotes diversity embedded within indigenous languages, specifically focusing on Igbo language.
  2. Language Preservation: The event seeks to promote the preservation of the Igbo language by encouraging participants to translate books from English Wikipedia to Igbo, thereby creating articles on the Igbo Wikipedia.
  3. Knowledge Dissemination: The event aims to disseminate knowledge in the Igbo language by translating books from various genres and topics to make a wider range of information accessible to Igbo speakers, fostering educational opportunities and empowering the community with valuable resources.
  4. Collaboration and Community Building: The event aims to foster collaboration and community building among participants, creating a network of individuals passionate about promoting indigenous languages.
  5. Empowerment and Engagement: The event seeks to empower participants to take an active role in promoting their language and culture. By providing them with the tools and resources to translate books into Igbo, participants will have a tangible means to contribute to the revitalization of their language.

Join us

Schedule of the Event

Date: 18 May, 2023
Time: 10.00am - 02.00pm
Venue: Nigerian Book Foundation, Awka, Anambra State
To access the translation dashboard, participants can click on the button below.
Dashboard

To participate in the event and contribute to the translation efforts, attendees are kindly requested to follow these steps:

  • Attend the Event: Participants are required to attend the event to receive instructions on the translation process and project guidelines.
  • Access the Dashboard: The dashboard will provide a user-friendly interface to facilitate the translation process.
  • Signatures: To ensure proper coordination and organization, participants are kindly requested to sign their names in the designated section below. Please sign directly below the last participant's name,type-in the code #~~~~ to automatically add your username and timestamp.
  • To-do list: Refer to the lists for articles to translate. See document.

Contributors

  1. Olugold (talk) 23:25, 12 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  2. Chrysella (talk) 05:44, 13 May 2023 (UTC)Chrysella[reply]
  3. Ngostary2k (talk) 09:46, 14 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  4. Bibisuccess 16:36, 14 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  5. Lebron jay (talk) 16:56, 14 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  6. Mercyjamb123 17:12, 14 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  7. PassionateLibrarian 17:24, 14 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  8. Nneka Ibeanu 17:28, 14 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  9. Sayvhior (talk) 18:17, 14 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  10. Epiphanus Jide
  11. Timzy D'Great (talk) 06:51, 15 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  12. Zenyth1234 (talk) 09:59, 15 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  13. Joannable (talk) 18:49, 15 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  14. Senator Choko (talk) 01:39, 16 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  15. Kingsley Nkem (talk) 19:15, 17 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  16. Obuezie (talk) 05:33, 18 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  17. Phena001 of (talk) 09:36, 18 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  18. Ucmbachu (talk) 10:29, 18 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  19. Adakaibe (talk) 10:36, 18 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  20. GaudvinV (talk) 02:45, 18 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  21. Chukwuziterem (talk) 02:45, 18 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  22. Izusamuel29 (talk) 02:45, 18 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Impact

During the World Book Day 2023 event, the impact was significant with new members joining and engaging in book translation for the first time. Participants actively read the synopses of books on various genres and translated them into the Igbo language, contributing to the preservation and revitalization of the language. The event resulted in the creation of more than 160 new articles and the editing of 280 articles, and a total of 477 edits. Additionally, there were 177 revisions made to Wikidata, further enhancing the knowledge base in Igbo. This collective effort not only promoted language preservation but also empowered participants to actively contribute to their culture and community. See event dashboard for more details.

Participants' feedback

The world Book Day event was really enlightening. I got to read more about books while translating and everything I translated were very interesting and worth reading. Thanks to IG Wiki Librarians Hub. I really appreciate! God bless you more 🙏 - Mercyjamb123


I am Bibisuccess,I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be able to contribute to this great institute of knowledge, through my translations,i hope to be able to grow and be of great help to the vision of this institution.


Learning about the World Book Day and contributing to the knowledge space was intriguing and it's experience refreshing. Step by step we the IWUG editors will close the knowledge gap and show the relevance of our own language and I'm proud to be part of it. #ProudlyNigerian #ProudlyIgbo #ProudlyIWUGEditor. Thank you. Zenyth1234 (talk) 13:48, 19 May 2023 (UTC)😊


The program went well. It was a refresher event for me. I enjoyed it. Obuezie


I'm Izusamuel29 a new editor. Having this event as my first is a good sign that I will have a smooth ride with Wikipedia and Wikimedia in general, as the training was knowledge packed and rich and also fun. I will always remember how to translate, how to edit and every other thing thought at the training because the trainer used unique methods in teaching. Thanks to Wikipedia.


Though my third training as a Wikimedian this is both my first and best Wikipedia and translation training. Long live the IWUG family. I'm GaudinV


Epiphanus Jide is the user, I wish to join my voice to that of others to appreciate Wikimedia Foundation/ Wikimedia Igbo for sponsoring and approving this training as it's both fun filled and also full of knowledge. I read more about books and also aided in translating them Kudos to the Igbo Wikimedian family.


I am Chrysella and I was a part of the World Book Day event organized and celebrated by the Igbo Wiki Librarians Hub. And I must say it was really an exciting and an eye opener to the world of books as I got to read,analyse and translate into my native language books that had meaning and impact on society. Looking forward to next year's celebration.


A beautiful project I must say, all thanks to the wonderful facilitator Olugold. I hope to see later episodes of this project. I was able to translate so many books on the Igbo Wikipedia, in that process, I was able to see as well as read some books relating to the theme of this year’s program. Sayvhior


I am Lebron jay and I participated in the World Book Day event. Getting to translate articles on books that have been written years ago while also embracing the opportunity to know what this books are all about has been a wonderful experience. Kudos to the Facilitators who have made this possible.


I am so grateful to have taken part in the World Book Day event,I got to acquire more knowledge about reading books. Also thankful for being given the opportunity to translate wisdom-filled books written by some great scholars in the past. Kudos to the facilitators!!! Senator Choko (talk) 02:02, 23 May 2023 (UTC)Senator Choko


Event Images



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