The African Academy of Languages (ACALAN)

The African Academy of Languages, ACALAN is the African Union Specialised agency charged with the promotion and development of African languages as a means for fostering continental integration and development. It is headquartered in Bamako, Mali

The organisation was established in Mali in December 2000 by Presidential Decree as the Mission for the African Academy of Languages (MACALAN). It was transformed into ACALAN in January 2006 and became a specialised institution of the African Union when its statutes were adopted by the Sixth Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union.

ACALAN’s main objectives are to:

• Promote and develop the use of African languages in general and vehicular cross-border languages in particular in partnership with the former colonial languages
• To ensure the development of African languages as a factor of African integration and development
• Promote convivial, functional multilingualism at all levels of the society, particularly in the education sector

To deliver on its mandate ACALAN aims to

1. To establish its two working structures: Vehicular Cross-border Language Commissions (VCLC) and National Language Structures (NLS) as national focal points in the Member States of the AU
2. Support the Ministers of Education and of Culture of the AU Member States in the revamping of the African education system
3. Assist Member States in the formulation and implementation of national language policies.
4. Assist in the implementation of the Charter for the African Cultural Renaissance and of the Language Plan of Action for Africa
5. Collaborate with the regional institutions of language and oral tradition amongst which include :
   • The African Union’s Centre of Linguistic and Historical Studies through Oral Tradition (CELHTO);
   • The International Centre for Research and Documentation on African Traditions and Languages (CERDOTOLA);
   • The Eastern African Centre for Research on Oral Tradition and National Languages (EACROTANAL),
   • The International Centre for Bantu Civilisation, (CICIBA)

ACALAN has five organs which oversee its mandate: the AU Specialised Technical Committee (STC) on Youth, Culture and Sports, which is its supreme organ; the Governing Board (highest policy organ), the Assembly of Academicians, the Scientific and Technical Committee and the Executive Secretariat.

ACALAN’s working structures are the National Language Structures (one in each Member State) and the Vehicular Cross-border Language Commissions (one for each vehicular cross-border language).

ACALAN has several key projects that it is undertaking.

The Linguistic Atlas for Africa (LAA) is one of ACALAN’s key projects and it aims to produce precise knowledge about the number of African languages, their interrelations and dialectical variations. The Linguistic Atlas is divided into the Regional Economic Communities (RECs). ACALAN is working on completing the cartographic aspects of the atlas for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) chapter plus Mauritania which will be availed in print and electronic format in all the languages in the 15 Member States of ECOWAS.

ACALAN actively supports post-graduate level students in African languages and linguistics. Its key project is the Pan-African Master’s and PhD Programme in African Languages and Applied Linguistics (PANMAPAL) which aims to train qualified linguists, language professionals, educators and other practitioners to become specialists in African languages.

The Pan-African School for Translation and Interpretation (PASTI) is an ACALAN project that trains young Africans in the profession of translation and interpretation so as to enable African languages become true working languages and languages of instruction in a multilingual context.

In the area of Terminology and Lexicography (TLP) , ACALAN trains dictionary compilers and terminology developers; and provides research, support, counsel services in these fields in the major African languages. In addition, ACALAN has produced dictionaries in Ikinyarwanda–Kiswahili–English; English–Kiswahili–Kinyrwanda; Euegbefiala–Ewe–English; English–Ewe; Mandenkan–Bamanankan; and an online Hausa spell checker.

The Stories Across Africa (SAA) project aims to produce anthologies of stories for children to enjoy in their own languages as a means of instilling the culture of reading in them.

Finally the African Languages and the Cyberspace (ALC) project aims to promote African languages in the cyberspace and apply Human Language Technologies to them.

(Read about ACALAN’S work in promoting Kiswahili as covered in this issue in the article The case for Kiswahili as a language of wider communication in Africa)

Find out more about ACALAN
Website: www.acalan-au.org and www.acalan.tv
Email: acalan@Africa-union.org Tel: +223 2029 0459
Twitter: @AcademyAcalan
Facebook: ‘African Academy of Languages Acalan’