PRESERVING AFRICAN LANGUAGES
TEBOGO Mngwenya started Onke Solutions in 2016 to shake up the IT sector and create African-inspired innovations.
“I have a passion for Pan Africanism, our African languages and the preservation of these languages in digital spaces. The motive is to establish local content and share it with the rest of the world. I also want to be able to preserve our languages in a learning format for children to understand our background and also for them to have a playful manner to use our languages. That’s how Bantu Words was created.”
Mngwenya created the mobile app in 2017 to address the “learning and tolerance” of languages in Africa.
“A market already exists for crossword puzzle apps, but what makes Bantu Words unique for mobile users is the option to choose indigenous languages. At the moment we have 13 languages from different regions on the continent. There’s Oromo, Yoruba, Swahili, Shona and Arabic in addition to South African languages.”
Mngwenya was invited to Mombasa in Kenya in 2019 to showcase his work – a crossword book and an app. It was in that conference that he was inspired to include other languages outside of South Africa.
“Our passion to promote African literature drove us to publish a book version of Bantu Words puzzle in 2019 in an effort to make it a training exercise for primary and pre-school learners who don’t have access to mobile devices to have a copy of this book.
“The book can be bought for children and adults to learn basic words from other tribal groups. The target market can expand from local to international learners,” said Mngwenya.
On the app, available on Google Play for Android devices, people can find words using a timer.
“The timer challenges you to find words in a limited time. If you can complete the puzzle in a few minutes, it shows how quick a learner you are. But they aren’t limited to the timer, you can take your time and enjoy the process of learning.”
Mngwenya said the project was ongoing because Africa had so many languages.
“In terms of the integration of our languages, I want them to be integrated into the social media spaces. If you check the digital translations of African languages on Facebook or Twitter, the translations are off.
“So I’m looking to expand to that level and integrate into social media platforms.”
Mngwenya said everyone, especially children and youth, would be able to expand their horizons in learning about various tribal groups.
The book and app are for all races and age groups.
“We are open to partnerships and investments from the public and private sector in creating a positive image for our country and the youth worldwide.”