Preserving Uganda’s local dialects through the power of AI

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OPINION

By Michael Bamwesigye

The festive season often brings joy, nostalgia, and humor as many Ugandan families reconnect with their roots by celebrating Christmas in their villages. This year, the humorous antics of Jayden—the quintessential entitled, town-raised child—have been a source of widespread laughter. 

Jayden is the epitome of urban privilege in a rural setting. Jayden thrust into the unfamiliar realities of village life, confidently sits himself in the bishop’s chair during Christmas Day church service, completely oblivious to the shocked congregation. Earlier in the day, he had insisted on keeping the family chicken as a pet, affectionately naming it "Fluffy," blissfully unaware that it was meant to be lunch.

To add to the hilarity, Jayden stumbles upon his grandmother’s prized bitter berries and refers to them as “baby watermelons”. These lighthearted stories bring joy, but they also reflect a deeper issue: the growing disconnect between urban and rural lifestyles, especially when it comes to language and traditions. Conversations with elders in the village often reveal this gap starkly. Their vocabulary is filled with "hard" traditional terms that many of us from urban settings struggle to understand, often asking them to explain. On the other hand, our conversations, laced with English or borrowed Swahili phrases, leave them equally perplexed and struggling to follow the conversation.

Uganda is home to over 40 local dialects, each carrying the unique identity, wisdom, and traditions of its speakers. These dialects are repositories of cultural heritage, holding within them the stories, knowledge, and values of generations past. However, much like Jayden’s humorous struggles in adapting to village life, these dialects are increasingly overshadowed by the dominance of English and globalization. This linguistic erosion threatens not only our cultural richness but also the inclusivity of our nation.

The question then arises: how can we preserve and revitalise what remains of our local dialects and ensure they are passed on to future generations? The answer lies in leveraging the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI offers innovative tools to document, preserve, and teach our local dialects while integrating them into the digital ecosystem, ensuring their relevance in a modernized world.

AI provides practical solutions that can keep our local languages alive. Imagine AI-enabled programs that record oral traditions such as folk songs and proverbs in Luganda, Runyankore, or Ateso. These recordings can be transcribed and converted into digital formats stored in a national archive, preserving them for future generations. With such archives, even the Jaydens, who might dismiss their grandmother’s stories as “too long,” can later access and appreciate the cultural treasures they once overlooked.

For the younger generations who may not naturally learn their native dialects, AI-driven language applications could offer an engaging solution. Such applications could teach pronunciation, grammar, and cultural context through interactive lessons and gamified quizzes. A mobile phone app tailored for Acholi or Lusoga could even help Jayden learn the proper way to greet his elders instead of blurting out “Hi guys!” inappropriately.

AI-powered translation tools could bridge the communication gap between local dialects and English, making critical information accessible to rural communities. A mobile app, for example, could translate health guidelines from English to Karamojong, empowering communities with knowledge in their native tongue. Similarly, AI chatbots and voice assistants could offer public services in local dialects, making technology more inclusive for non-English speakers and ensuring broader access to vital services.

For example, the Endangered Languages Project, launched in June 2012 as a collaborative effort between language organizations, academic institutions, and industry partners, leverages AI to analyze speech patterns and create digital archives for thousands of endangered languages across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. Languages such as Twi from Ghana and Warlpiri from Australia have been digitized through this initiative, ensuring they remain accessible for future generations.

While the potential of AI to preserve our dialects is immense, challenges such as limited digitized local language datasets, high implementation costs, and a shortage of skilled AI developers must be addressed. To overcome these hurdles, we must engage communities to contribute to creating local language datasets. Collaborations with tech companies and academic institutions can help offset costs and provide the technical expertise needed to develop these AI-driven tools. Additionally, capacity-building programs should be established to train local developers in AI technologies, bridging the skills gap and empowering Ugandans to take charge of their linguistic preservation efforts.

These efforts would align with Digital Uganda Vision, which envisions a digitally empowered society that drives socio-economic transformation. The Ministry of ICT and National Guidance’s Digital Transformation Roadmap emphasizes the importance of inclusive technology, ensuring no one is left behind in the digital revolution. Preserving our local dialects is a critical step toward achieving this vision. It bridges the rural-urban divide that the Jaydens humorously symbolize while contributing to the broader goal of national development.

The efforts to maintain our local dialects go beyond mere nostalgia; they are a commitment to ensuring that our Jaydens, who are growing up in an increasingly modern world, stay connected to their heritage. By combining the humor of their village adventures with the critical task of preserving our cultural identity, we can drive meaningful action. AI provides a powerful opportunity to protect these dialects in this digital era, allowing them to flourish and play a significant role in Uganda’s socio-economic transformation and the inclusivity of the Digital Uganda Vision 2040.

The writer is the Head Information and Technology in the Department of ICT and Research at Uganda Communications Commission (UCC). He is also chairperson of the UCC AI Taskforce