Recording, podcast studio for Bureau of Ghana Languages

The Bureau of Ghana Languages (BGL) has officially opened state-of-the-art recording and podcast studios to facilitate their work and promote Ghanaian languages.

The work of the BGL includes writing and publishing books, translation of literature from English to Ghanaian languages, research in various Ghanaian cultures, voiceovers and transcriptions, among others.

The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Ablah Dzifa Gomashie, who inaugurated the studio said the BGL, an agency under the Ministry had worked tirelessly to provide the platform for artists, audiobook producers and podcasters to create, innovate and express themselves.

“The recording studio is equipped with up-to-standard technology and equipment, providing a professional and comfortable space for voice recording in general.

“The podcast studio on the other hand is specifically designed for podcasters to record, edit and produce high-quality podcasts, with its intimate setting and professional equipment,” she said.

Mother Language Day

The Minister was speaking at an event organised by the BGL and UNESCO Ghana to commemorate the silver jubilee celebration of the International Mother Language Day in Accra.

It was on the theme: “Languages Matter: Silver Jubilee Celebration of International Mother Language Day”.

The Minister called on voiceover artists, recorders and podcasters to do business with the BGL.

Language

Ms Gomashie emphasised the importance of language as an essential part of cultural diversity, but said the country was not promoting the Ghanaian language enough, “neither are we promoting or preserving our biodiversity as well”.

“It is our responsibility to perverse and promote our languages, not just for the benefit of individual communities but for the benefit of humanity as a whole and prosperity,” she said.

She stated there was still much work to be done, urging the public to continue promoting linguistic diversity, preserving endangered languages and supporting language education.

“It behoves our language experts, authors, traditional leaders, custodians of our languages, academicians, government and all relevant stakeholders to play that critical role of promoting linguistic diversity and preserving our Indigenous languages.

“We must continue to research, document and promote our languages, as well as develop language education programmes that support linguistic diversity.

She said the ministry would continue to engage UNESCO “because Languages matter”.

Teach language

The acting Director of BGL, Enoch A. Adibuer, said the two studios would help in teaching and promoting Ghanaian languages while commercialising them for revenue.

He said the celebration of the Day also reaffirmed the significance of linguistic diversity, language preservation and language promotion.

He expressed the BGL’s commitment to celebrating progress made and recommit themselves to promoting the importance of languages.

The UNESCO representative to Ghana, Edward Moukala, commended the BGL for its unwavering dedication to the promotion and preservation of mother languages and their continued efforts in celebrating the Day.  

He also commended them for the podcast and recording studios and said it aligned with UNESCO’s vision for integrating innovation in language preservation.

He called on governments, civil society and all stakeholders to invest in language preservation efforts, ensuring that no language is left behind,” he added.