Android Builders Weblog: #WeArePlay | Nkenne: The app educating African languages and tradition

Posted by Robbie McLachlan, Developer Advertising and marketing

In our newest movie for #WeArePlay, which celebrates the individuals behind apps and video games, we meet Michael and Shalom – a mom and son duo pushed by a ardour for sharing and educating African languages. Uncover how their app, Nkenne, goes past language studying—serving as a robust instrument for preserving cultural heritage and reconnecting individuals with their African language and tradition.

What impressed you to create Nkenne?

Michael: Nkenne which implies “of the mom,” actually got here from a private place. I needed to be taught Igbo, my native language from Nigeria, however there weren’t many sources on the market that made it straightforward or accessible. My mother, Shalom, raised me within the U.S., and whereas I grew up listening to bits of Igbo, there wasn’t sufficient time or construction for me to completely be taught it. Throughout the pandemic, when all the pieces paused, I spotted how a lot I needed to attach with my heritage, and that’s when the thought sparked. We realized that not simply Igbo, however many African languages had been changing into much less widespread, even amongst those that converse them. So, we noticed this as a possibility to protect these languages and assist others reconnect with their roots.

You’ve talked about the objective of preserving African languages. How does Nkenne contribute to their preservation?

Shalom: African languages are thought of low-resource as a result of they do not have as a lot digital content material, formal documentation, or available studying instruments. With Nkenne, we’re serving to to alter that. We’re not simply educating the languages, we’re documenting them, constructing classes, and making a useful resource for future generations. Many individuals in Nigeria, for instance, don’t converse their native languages anymore. By creating Nkenne, we’re primarily constructing a digital library of African languages.

How does Nkenne combine each language studying and cultural schooling? Why is it essential to show each?

Michael: Understanding the cultural which means behind a language makes studying richer. It’s not simply vocabulary—it’s about connecting individuals with the tradition behind it. We embody blogs, podcasts, and classes that dive into the traditions and customs tied to the language, so individuals perceive not simply the phrases, however the historical past and which means behind them.

Shalom: Sure, studying a language with out the cultural context leaves gaps. As an example, in Nigeria, utilizing your left hand handy somebody an merchandise is taken into account impolite— we train these cultural nuances within the app to assist the consumer actually grasp the tradition.

What’s subsequent for Nkenne?

Michael: We’re centered on increasing our language choices to 30 by the tip of 2025, together with extra African languages and Creole dialects from around the globe. We’re additionally engaged on enhancing our AI capabilities for language translation.

Shalom: We’re additionally deepening the group expertise, including extra social options the place customers can join, share, and follow collectively. It’s about constructing not only a language-learning platform, however an area the place individuals from the diaspora and past can actually join with their heritage.

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