StoryWeaver: Creating reading resources for children in the Indigenous languages of the Global South

• In Event: Developing digital books in Indigenous languages in the Global South

Proposal

UNESCO has declared 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages to bring to light the challenges faced by nearly all indigenous languages that are on the verge of losing their identity. This presentation will focus on how Pratham Books’ OER platform StoryWeaver is promoting the creation of books in indigenous languages and thereby aiding social inclusion and sustainable development of indigenous communities. The platform offers 16,000 books in over 200 languages, 60% of which are underserved, indigenous and endangered languages. By creating a participatory and collaborative framework, we have enabled users across the globe to create a rich repository of books in indigenous languages for children to read and learn, and to preserve their linguistic and cultural identity.
The presentation will talk about the role of technology and the need for investment in stable tools in indigenous languages. Additionally, we will highlight specific use cases where users are leveraging the platform to create greater access to books for all children, including a) Community based organizations giving a new life to oral languages by creating the first-ever written texts, b) Educators creating bilingual resources that aid transition of children from indigenous communities to the language of instruction in school, c). Researchers and Universities who are documenting a dying language spoken by just 10,000 people and hoping to create a dictionary in the language, d) The platform’s role in strengthening content in ‘bridge’ languages like Spanish, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali and Thai which are frequently used to translate in indigenous languages, and e) Foundation and linguists creating content in indigenous languages using different scripts.

Author

• Amna Singh, Pratham Books