News

The University of Botswana (UB) is supporting efforts to increase the visibility of Setswana and other African languages online through initiatives that equip communities to document and share their knowledge on open digital platforms.

The workshop, Preserving Languages: Open, Free, and Accessible Knowledge of All, brought together academics, researchers, librarians and students to explore ways of expanding indigenous-language content and making African knowledge more accessible to global audiences.

In his opening remarks, Executive Dean of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, Professor Thapelo Otlogetswe, welcomed the initiative and underscored the importance of preserving and promoting African languages and knowledge.

Delivering the keynote address, UNESCO Chair in African Heritage Studies and Sustainable Development, Dr Susan Keitumetse, stressed the importance of documenting African heritage, oral histories and linguistic knowledge to ensure their preservation and wider accessibility in the digital age.

Representing the Southern African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR), Ms Lebogang Boemo and Ms Lerato Seepamore contributed to the initiative’s focus on developing digital language resources and strengthening multilingual content creation.

The workshop also highlighted the growth of Setswana Wikipedia. Since Wikimedia Botswana gained official recognition as a Wikimedia User Group in 2022, the number of Setswana Wikipedia articles has grown from just over 100 to more than 6000.

co-founder of Wikimedia Botswana, Ms Candy Kholiwe, encouraged participants to contribute to the platform by documenting local histories, experiences and cultural knowledge, helping ensure that Botswana’s heritage is accurately represented online.

The workshop included practical training in Wikipedia editing, translation and publishing, equipping participants to develop Setswana articles supported by reliable sources. The organisers hope to establish local editing groups to sustain contributions beyond the event.

The workshop was organised by the UB Department of Languages, Linguistics and Literary Studies, coordinated by Dr Boikanyego Sebina, Wikimedia Botswana, coordinated by Ms Candy Kholiwe and SADiLaR, coordinated by Ms Lebogang Boemo and Ms Lerato Seepamore.