Digital Media and the Preservation of Indigenous Languages in Africa

Digital Media and the Preservation of Indigenous Languages in Africa: Toward a Digitalized and Sustainable Society presents cutting-edge epistemological debates, academic case studies, and empirical research from African scholars on the intersection of digital media technologies, artificial intelligence, and the preservation of Indigenous languages in the continent. This edited collection provides a methodology for African researchers, practitioners, and marginalized communities to integrate digital technologies into their lives to foster innovation, advance the documentation and preservation of underrepresented languages, and promote African-centered epistemologies. Contributors to this edited volume argue that African societies should acknowledge and embrace digital media platforms. Despite these platforms' potential as sites of epistemic colonialism, they are essential for promoting ways of life that reflect the diversity and importance of Indigenous cultures. For Indigenous languages and local epistemologies to flourish in this rapidly evolving technological era, African communities must employ a variety of contemporary practices and strategies to document, protect, and preserve ways of being that have formerly been relegated to the periphery.

Fulufhelo Oscar Makananise is associate professor in the Department of Communication Science at the University of South Africa.
Shumani Eric Madima is senior lecturer of linguistics in the Department of English, Media Studies, and Linguistics at the University of Venda .

Introduction: Theorizing Digital Media and Epistemic Indigenous Languages Preservation for Sustainable Development in the Fourth Industrial Revolution by Fulufhelo Oscar Makananise and Shumani Eric Madima
Part I: Digital Preservation, Epistemic African Knowledges, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Chapter 1: Digital Preservation of Indigenous Languages and Participatory Epistemic Knowledge Systems of the Global South: Insights from South African Experiences by Fulufhelo Oscar Makananise
Chapter 2: Indigenous Language Preservation and Promotion through Digital Media Technology in the Fourth Industrial Revolution by Yusuf Ayodeji Ajani, Adeyinka Tella, and Nhlavu Petros Dlamini
Chapter 3: Positioning South African Indigenous Languages on Social Media Communication in the Fourth Industrial Revolution by Shumani Eric Madima
Chapter 4: Computational Linguistics and Indigenous Languages: WhatsApp Emoji Use and the Reclamation of Shona and Ndebele Language and Culture by Jennings Joy Chibike
Part II: Digital Media Strategies and Indigenous Language Preservation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Chapter 5: Global Initiatives for Digital Preservation of Indigenous Languages in the Fourth Industrial Revolution by Adeyinka Tella and Joseph Ngoaketsi
Chapter 6: Indigenous Language Development and Preservation in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution by Remah Joyce Lubambo
Chapter 7: Kivunjo Names and Naming as an Indigenous Language Preservation and Digitization Strategy by Zelda Elisifa
Part III: Endangered Language Revitalization, Social Media Language Prospects, and Media Training
Chapter 8: Using Social Media to Promote Indigenous Languages: Reality or Delusion: A Critical Review of Shona Facebook Television by Memory Mabika
Chapter 9: Exploring the Role of Indigenous Languages in Journalism and Media Training in the Fourth Industrial Revolution Era by Toyosi Olugbenga Samson Owolabi
Chapter 10: Indigenous Language Preservation, Challenges, and Opportunities in the Social Media Age by Mawethu Glemar Mapulane, Amukelani Collen Mangaka, Edgar Julius Malatji, Nhlayisi Cedrick Baloyi, and Rudzanimbilu Muthambi
Part IV: Orality On Social Media, Indigenous Epistemic Cultures, and Minority Languages in Digital Media
Chapter 11: Promotion Of Indigenous Languages and Culture through Social Media by Kganathi Shaku
Chapter 12: Orality On Social Media Language: Linguistic Texts and Images Portraying Elements of Isizulu Folklore by Beryl Babsy Boniwe MaMchunu Xaba