Against All Odds:
African Languages and Literatures into the 21st Century
The “Against All Odds” conference was a historic event, a Future-now:
- held in Asmara, capital of Eritrea, Africa’s most recently independent nation,
- a nation still at border war with Ethiopia,
- a nation of 3.4 million united in nine languages, all of which are available through Grade 6 in mother-tongue schools,
- the irony of an African conference held primarily in English
- the irony that most of the African writers there actually live in Europe/US, and write in non-African languages,
- the stunning realization that the Internet and other digital technologies can be lifelines for endangered languages,
- the resolute acknowledgment that the first step in retaining cultural integrity is basic education in mother tongues.
--Bob Holman
(There is more to come on this amazing event -- don't miss our further Notes from the Front, Women of Eritrea: Fighters and Poets. Be sure to read the poetry of Eritrea’s Poet Laureate, Reesom Haile, here at About.com Poetry. You can also visit Asmarino.com to listen to several RealAudio recordings made by Reesom Haile during the conference.)
The Asmara Declaration on African Languages and Literatures
We writers and scholars from all regions of Africa gathered in Asmara, Eritrea from January 11 to 17, 2000 at the conference titled Against All Odds: African Languages and Literatures into the 21st Century. This was the first conference on African languages and literatures ever to be held on African soil, with participants from East, West, North, Southern Africa and from the diaspora and by writers and scholars from around the world. We examined the state of African languages in literature, scholarship, publishing, education and administration in Africa and throughout the world. We celebrated the vitality of African languages and literatures and affirmed their potential. We noted with pride that despite all the odds against them, African languages as vehicles of communication and knowledge survive and have a written continuity of thousands of years. Colonialism created some of the most serious obstacles against African languages and literatures. We noted with concern the fact that these colonial obstacles still haunt independent Africa and continue to block the mind of the continent. We identified a profound incongruity in colonial languages speaking for the continent. At the start of a new century and millennium, Africa must firmly reject this incongruity and affirm a new beginning by returning to its languages and heritage.
At this historic conference, we writers and scholars from all regions of Africa gathered in Asmara, Eritrea declare that:
Translated into as many African languages as possible and based on these principles, the Asmara Declaration is affirmed by all participants in Against All Odds. We call upon all African states, the OAU, the UN and all international organizations that serve Africa to join this effort of recognition and support for African languages, with this declaration as a basis for new policies.
While we acknowledge with pride the retention of African languages in some parts of Africa and the diaspora and the role of African languages in the formation of new languages, we urge all people in Africa and the diaspora to join in the spirit of this declaration and become part of the efforts to realize its goals.
Asmara, 17th of January 2000
The initiative which has materialized in the Against All Odds conference must be continued through biennial conferences in different parts of Africa. In order to organize future conferences in different parts of Africa, create a forum of dialogue and cooperation and advance the principles of this declaration, a permanent Secretariat will be established, which will be initially based in Asmara, Eritrea.
