African languages find new life among a younger generation

A television game show in Lagos has one unusual rule: speak English and you lose.

“Masoyinbo,” meaning “Do not speak English,” is part of a growing revival of African languages, as younger people and members of the diaspora seek to reconnect with their cultural roots.

Olalekan Fabilola, Game Show Host: "If Masoyinbo had started in maybe like 10 years ago, it wouldn't have been what it is now. But we're in the age of cultural resurgence. People want to go back to their roots."

That interest is also driving online language classes. In Zimbabwe, teenagers in the diaspora are learning Shona to reconnect with relatives and a culture they once felt disconnected from.

Nyashadzashe Machingura, Shona Language Student: "I remember, like, my siblings, they would be speaking Shona, and my cousins would be speaking Shona and I would be the only one who didn't know how to and it just made me feel like very left out."

But experts warn that many African languages remain at risk after decades of being sidelined in education, business and technology.

Believe Mubonderi, Linguistics Lecturer, Zimbabwe Open University: "In most cases, African languages were actually sidelined. They only may be relegated to the home domain, cultural domain. They were never exposed or modernized to be used in commerce, to be used in science and technology."

With online learning, entertainment and new technology creating fresh opportunities, advocates hope the resurgence can give Africa’s languages a stronger place in the modern world.