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Preserving Our Languages: My Davis Peace Project Journey

This summer, thanks to the Davis Project for Peace grant, I embarked on a journey that would change my perspective on language, culture, and the power of technology. My mission? To digitize and preserve the Adja language, my mother tongue spoken by around a million people in Benin.

The Genesis of the Project

It all started with a simple Google search. As a computer science student at Dartmouth, I wanted to reconnect with my roots and learn more about Adja. What I found – or rather, didn't find – shocked me. There was virtually nothing online about Adja: no learning resources, no translation tools, no substantial digital presence.

This discovery sparked a fire in me. If my language, spoken by a million people, was this underrepresented online, what about the countless other African languages?

The Project Takes Shape

With the support of the Davis Peace Project and the Dickey Center at Dartmouth, I flew back to Benin for the summer. My goals were ambitious:

1. Create a parallel sentence corpus for Adja
2. Conduct and film interviews with Adja speakers
3. Document traditional folktales
4. Lay the groundwork for a translation tool

Looking back, I realize I was a bit naive about the timeline. I thought I'd wrap everything up in a month. Reality had other plans.

Challenges and Triumphs

The first challenge hit me as soon as I landed: coordinating interviews was far more complex than I'd anticipated. I quickly learned that in fieldwork, flexibility is key. I found myself on call 24/7, ready to seize any opportunity for an interview or recording session.

Despite the challenges, we made significant progress:

• We compiled and translated over 1,500 sentences, creating the first-ever large-scale digital resource for Adja.
• We recorded interviews with diverse community members, capturing their thoughts on the importance of the Adja language.
• We documented traditional folktales, preserving these cultural narratives for future generations.

Unexpected Lessons

This project taught me more than just language preservation techniques. It opened my eyes to the complex relationship between language, culture, and identity in our globalized world.

I realized that the biggest challenge facing African languages today is utility. In a world where English dominates global communication, we need to create environments where our native languages have practical, everyday uses beyond just informal communication.

This realization led me to found AKILLI, an AI startup focused on solving critical problems in emerging countries. We're working on translation tools, educational resources, and health solutions, all with a focus on supporting native languages.

[Link to AKILLI website]

The Road Ahead

This summer was just the beginning. I'm continuing to expand our Adja language corpus and working on partnerships with organizations like the Living Tongue Institute and 7000 Languages to develop a dictionary and learning curriculum.

But more importantly, this experience has solidified my commitment to language preservation and cultural heritage work. It's shown me the need for innovative approaches that value both linguistic diversity and global connectivity.

If you're interested in following our progress or getting involved, check out our project website:

[Link to PreserveOurLanguages website]

Remember, every language is a unique window into human experience. By preserving our languages, we're not just saving words – we're preserving entire worldviews. And in our increasingly connected world, that diversity of perspective is more valuable than ever.

[Placeholder for project image]

Let's work together to ensure that the richness of our linguistic heritage isn't lost in the digital age. After all, in the words of Nelson Mandela, "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."