Ecuador Workshop Connects Digital Activists for the Good of the Kichwa Language On the Internet
Ecuador Workshop Connects Digital Activists for the Good of the Kichwa Language On the Internet
Posted 21 October 2016 16:35 GMT
Group photo from the Kichwa language digital activism workshop. Photo by E. Avila
Members of Kichwa communities across Ecuador gathered in the city of Otavalo on August 17-19 to take part in a three-day workshop to discuss the state of their language, build new digital skills, and share experiences promoting their native language on the internet.
Best known for its weekly colorful open-air market that attracts both local residents from across the Imbabura Province and tourists alike, Otavalo is located 90 km from the Ecuadorian capital of Quito. The city is also well-known for its embrace of local Kichwa culture and language, where the typical dress can be seen throughout the city center, and where Otavaleño households and workplaces still converse in the language on a daily basis. Kichwa language can be spotted in some public buildings where bilingual signs further reinforce the message about its influence in everyday life.
Workshop participants. Photo by E. Avila
Otavalo is also home to several pioneering digital initiatives that seek to promote the Kichwa language through digital media and the internet in hopes of attracting a new generation of speakers ensuring that the language continues to endure. One such project, Kichwashun, which manages several social media accounts and the Kichwa instruction site Kichwa.net, was one of the primary organizers of the workshop along with the Municipality of Otavalo in partnership with Global Voices through its Rising Voices’ Language Activism initiative.
What made this particular workshop unique was all of the presentations, discussions, and instruction over the three days were held in the Kichwa language, breaking down the perception that this native language is incompatible with technology. While it is true that the language lacks words for certain tech-related terminology, organizers proposed the use of phrase “Zirma atiriy” for “digital activism.”
More:
https://globalvoices.org/2016/10/21/ecuador-workshop-connects-digital-activists-for-the-good-of-the-kichwa-language-on-the-internet/
= new reply since forum marked as read
