The African Academy of Languages (ACALAN), linguistic arm of the African Union that seeks to develop and promote African Languages as tools for African integration and development has organized a meeting for the members of the jury of the ACALAN prize for excellence for literary works in African languages (ECOWAS Chapter).

The meeting which took place at Bamako in Mali on 22nd to 23rd May, 2019 was aimed to: Establish the timetable for awarding the prize; Set priorities in the implementation of the prize; Propose measures to guide future writers in African languages in order to make their work more valuable and popular; Help promote the African Cultural Renaissance; Strengthen and develop cultural exchanges between African Union Member State and to, reinvigorate African languages by according to them a value that has so far escaped them.

Professor Hounkpatin Christophe Capo, chairman of the meeting and member of the ACALAN’s Assembly of Academicians, said ‘’The African people expected the meeting to be a major milestone in the implementation of a language policies, through concrete actions of language promotion and valorization of African languages’’.

The Executive Secretary of ACALAN, Dr. Lang Fafa Dampha while recalling the objectives of the meeting, said ‘’It is imperative to create the conditions allowing African languages to become real working languages. The implementation of this award of excellence whose pilot phase only concerns the 5 cross-border vehicular languages of West Africa that are Fulfulde, Hausa, Mandenkan, Wolof and Yoruba’’.

He stressed further that ‘’This award will be extended in the future to other vehicular cross-border languages, as well as to other Regional Economic Communities of Africa’’.

Dr. Dampha also expressed his appreciation to Mr. Adama Samassekou, Founding Executive Secretary of ACALAN, to the Malian Government for the constant support, to the General Administrator of the Karanta Foundation for her effective presence and to all participants for the availability and engagement they have shown when they are called.

In his own statement, the Founding Executive Secretary of ACALAN, Mr. Adama Samasekou while citing Mali as an example of countries that adopted a language policy document, he said ‘’ACALAN was set by the AU to not promote and develop African languages, but also to implement language policies’’.

Mr. Samasekou however encouraged all writers in African languages for the promotional works.

Some of the recommendations made at the end of the workshop includes: Reflection should be made on the literary genres to retain for the prize of excellence for literary works in African languages; The name ‘ACALAN Prize of Excellence for West Africa (PEAAO)’ should be adopted;

A committee of mobilization of financial resources to search among leaders of the Member States of the AU to sponsor the ACALAN Prize of Excellence for literary works in African languages for West (PELWALWA) should be set up; A letter should be sent to the Chairperson of the AU Commission, asking for financial mans to increase the amounts allocated to the various awards; A committee of mobilization of financial resources to search among leaders of the Member State of the AU to sponsor the ACALAN Prize of Excellence literary works in African languages for West (PELWALWA) should be set up; A rewording of Article 15 which maintains only the names of the institutions and structure concerned by the jury and forward it to another nominative article of the members of this jury should be proposed and a committee to revise the draft rules of procedures, taking into account African traditions and realities and the proposals made should be set up among others.

However, the workshop brought together all the following participants to include, Members of the jury of the prize of excellence; The Founding Executive Secretary of ACALAN; Immediate past Director General of the Malian Academy of Languages; Members of the ACALAN Secretariat; Representative s of ACALAN’s National Structures(Focal Points) in Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Gambia and Benin; Representative of the host country; Members of the Secretariat and the ACALAN Assemblies of Academicians and the General Administrator of the KARANTA Foundation.

Plans of actions and its observation for the ACALAN Prize for Excellence for Literary Works in African Languages from 2019 to 2020 were also made.