{"id":2917,"date":"2026-06-12T18:29:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T18:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shespeaksafrica.com\/afrolanguagegrove\/?p=2917"},"modified":"2026-06-13T04:36:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T04:36:41","slug":"afro-language-grove-launches-to-champion-african-languages-and-cultural-connection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shespeaksafrica.com\/afrolanguagegrove\/afro-language-grove-launches-to-champion-african-languages-and-cultural-connection\/","title":{"rendered":"Afro Language Grove launches to champion African languages and cultural connection."},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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For Immediate Release<\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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As Africa's global influence grows, Afro Language Grove launches to champion African languages and cultural connection.<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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New platform launches virtual African language classes\ntaught by cultural custodians, beginning with Swahili, Twi, Yoruba and Shona<\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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ACCRA, GHANA \/ NAKURU, KENYA<\/span> – As Africa’s influence continues to grow\nacross business, culture, innovation and global affairs, a new initiative is asking an\nimportant question: Why are African languages still treated as an afterthought in\nconversations about Africa’s future? She Speaks Africa a n d Ujamii Culture Hub are\nproud to announce the launch of Afro Language Grove (ALG), a platform\ndedicated to making African language learning accessible, culturally grounded and\nrooted in authentic African experiences.<\/p>\n

Often grouped together under the name \u201cKhoisan,\u201d they historically consist of two main communities: the Khoikhoi (traditionally pastoralists) and the San (traditionally hunter-gatherers). Though distinct in lifestyle and dialect, they share deep linguistic and cultural ties that make their heritage one of the most unique in the world.<\/p>\n

The launch comes at a significant moment for the continent. Africa is home to\nmore than 2,000 languages and is projected to account for nearly one in five\npeople on earth within the coming decades. Yet despite being the most\nlinguistically diverse continent in the world, fewer than 20% of children in many\nparts of Africa are taught in their mother tongue. For the founders of Afro\nLanguage Grove, that reality has contributed to a perception that speaking a\nforeign language is somehow more valuable than speaking an African one.<\/p>\n

“Language is the first story we ever tell,”<\/b><\/em> says Leslie Kasumba, Founder of She\nSpeaks Africa. “Throughout history, there is a reason why colonizers attempted to\nstrip people of their languages and cultures. Language carries identity, memory,\nworldview, tradition and belonging. As Africa reclaims its place in the world,\nlanguage must be part of that conversation.”<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

Afro Language Grove was created from the belief that language and culture cannot\nbe separated. While many language-learning platforms focus primarily on\nvocabulary and grammar, ALG takes a different approach by connecting learners\nwith cultural custodians who not only speak the language, but understand the\nhumour, etiquette, traditions, social norms and lived experiences that give the\nlanguage meaning.<\/p>\n

The platform launches with virtual classes in Swahili, Twi, Yoruba and Shona, with\nplans to expand into additional African languages a s the community grows.\nStudents from anywhere in the world will be able to learn directly from instructors\nwho bring the culture behind the language into every lesson, creating an\nexperience that goes beyond translation and into genuine cultural understanding.<\/p>\n

“Africa is one of the most linguistically rich places on earth, yet many of us grew up believing that speaking a foreign language so mehow made us more intelligent\nthan speaking our mother tongue,”<\/strong><\/em> says Rahab Kamotho, Founder of Ujamii\nCulture Hub. “That perception has to change. Our languages carry knowledge, culture, identity and history. Through Afro Language Grove, we want people to learn African languages with pride and to understand the culture that lives within them.”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Afro Language Grove is designed for Africans interested in learning languages\nfrom other regions of the continent, members of the diaspora seeking to reconnect\nwith their heritage, professionals doing business across African markets, travellers looking for deeper cultural experiences, and language enthusiasts eager to explore Africa’s rich linguistic diversity. The platform also seeks to challenge perceptions around the value of African\nlanguages in a rapidly changing world.<\/p>\n

“If millions of people proudly say they are learning French, Spanish, Italian or Mandarin, why shouldn’t it feel just as natural to say, I’m learning Twi, I’m learning\nYoruba, or ‘I’m learning Swahili?'”<\/strong><\/em> adds Kamotho. “Africa is becoming increasingly central to the global story. As that happens, understanding African languages and cultures will become more important than ever. Our languages are not relics of the past. They are living systems of knowledge, identity and connection that deserve their place in the future.”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Beyond the classroom, Afro Language Grove aims to build a global community\naround African languages, culture and connection through digital content, cultural\nconversations and community engagement.\nRegistration for classes is now open. With free masterclasses available as an\nintroductory special offer.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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About Afro Language Grove<\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Afro Language Grove is a language and cultural learning platform created through\na partnership between She Speaks Africa and Ujamii Culture Hub. Through\nculturally grounded virtual learning experiences led by cultural custodians, the\nplatform seeks to make African language learning accessible while celebrating the\ndiversity, richness and relevance of African cultures and languages.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Immediate Release As Africa’s global influence grows, Afro Language Grove launches to champion African languages and cultural connection. New platform launches virtual African language classes taught by cultural custodians, beginning with Swahili, Twi, Yoruba and Shona ACCRA, GHANA \/ NAKURU, KENYA – As Africa’s influence continues to grow across business, culture, innovation and global […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2938,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shespeaksafrica.com\/afrolanguagegrove\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shespeaksafrica.com\/afrolanguagegrove\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shespeaksafrica.com\/afrolanguagegrove\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shespeaksafrica.com\/afrolanguagegrove\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shespeaksafrica.com\/afrolanguagegrove\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2917"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/shespeaksafrica.com\/afrolanguagegrove\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2937,"href":"https:\/\/shespeaksafrica.com\/afrolanguagegrove\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2917\/revisions\/2937"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shespeaksafrica.com\/afrolanguagegrove\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shespeaksafrica.com\/afrolanguagegrove\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shespeaksafrica.com\/afrolanguagegrove\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shespeaksafrica.com\/afrolanguagegrove\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}