Indigenous Peoples make up less than 6% of the global population,yet they speak more than 4000 languages. Estimates suggests that more than half of the world’s languages will die out by the end of this century. What are you doing to maintain the language of your people? It is imperative that we act now in order to strengthen and revitalize our languages. We showcase Indigenous languages from Africa and Asia.

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

August 9th is a reason for celebration all over the world, because on this date, the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is commemorated. This year, 2019, is the International Year of Indigenous Languages and therefore in this program, we will discuss the state of our languages, as Indigenous Peoples.

Internationial Year of International Languages - Khwedam, Namibia 

Khwedam is spoken by the Bwabwata San Peoples in Namibia. There are also some speakers in Botswana and South Africa. This program provides a sound clip of Khwedam, and gives some information about the people who speak the language.

International Year of Indigenous Languages - Rai, Nepal
 

This program includes short voice clips of four different languages spoken by four different sub-clans of Rai Indigenous communities of Nepal namely--Bantawa, Chamling, Kulung and Puma. Rai is one of Nepal’s 59 Indigenous Peoples, legally recognized by the government, but debate among Rai Indigenous communities still continues about Rai not being their ethnic identity, but posts given to the topmost leaders during the ancient kingship system of Nepal.

International Year of Indigenous Languages - Tharu, Nepal
 

Tharu is the mother tongue of the Tharu people, and it is divided into 2 categories, namely Rana Tharu and Dangaura Tharu, both belonging to the Indo-aryan language family. The Tharu peoples are among the largest indigenous communities in Nepal, they numbered 1.8 million people according to 2011 census. In this program we get to hear what Tharu sounds like. Indigenous Rights Radio Producer Dev Kumar Sunuwar also gives us insight into the communities who speak the Tharu language.

Indigenous Rights Radio Global News Bulletin
 

A short update on current events from around the world on the topic of Indigenous rights.