Today, February 21st, is International Mother Language Day, an annual observance dedicated to celebrate the role of languages in promoting inclusion. It is also a day to celebrate the richness of languages around the world and a reminder of why preserving and protecting languages is more important than ever.
Languages matter. They are more than just a means of communication. They define us, connect us to our histories, and root us in our cultures. They open doors, create spaces, and sometimes carve paths where none seemed to exist.
Consider Ayo, a young girl who is deeply educated in the ways of her community. She can read and write, understands the rhythms of trade, and has a natural gift for numbers, one she’s honed by helping her mother run their family business. She knows every price by heart, keeps track of sales, and can even predict their weekly profits. But Ayo also knows that numbers hold more than just daily transactions. She senses a bigger world hidden within them – patterns, stories, and possibilities waiting to be uncovered. Perhaps something as grand as solving bigger problems with even bigger numbers.
What she does not know is that there is an entire field dedicated to the patterns and logic she finds fascinating – data science –and that someone, somewhere, is making it accessible in the language she understands best: Yoruba.
Wuraola Oyewusi, a data scientist and technical instructor, is breaking barriers by teaching data science in Yoruba. On her YouTube channel, Tech in Yoruba, she simplifies complex tech concepts, making them digestible and relatable in her native language.
Her tutorial videos begin with a familiar greeting:
“Ẹ n lẹ̀ bẹ̀ o, orúkọ mi ni Wuraola. Lónìí, mo máa ṣàlàyé ní ránpẹ́ nípa ìmọ̀ sàyẹ́nsì data…”
Which loosely translates to:
“Greetings to you all, my name is Wuraola Oyewusi. Today, I will briefly explain data science.”
Her audience is a fascinating mix. Older people curious about the technology they use daily, young learners like Ayo who may not be fluent in English but want to explore tech, and even those drawn in simply by their interest in Yoruba language. Some realise that if something can be explained in their language, then it is worth learning.
“So, while English may dominate, there’s a growing and diverse audience for Yoruba tech content,” Wuraola says.
I find Yoruba language to be complex, with it’s many tonal variations. A single word can have multiple interpretations depending on its intonation. Now imagine trying to explain “algorithm,” “quantum computing,” or “blockchain” to someone like Ayo who has just begun her journey in learning data science in Yoruba, a language that, like many African languages, is deeply expressive, but doesn’t yet have direct translations for modern tech terms.
For Wuraola, that’s part of the excitement.
“This was one of the most interesting parts of the project and where my expertise as both an AI researcher and a native Yoruba speaker came into play,” she explains. “I’ve had to coin and create new terms for AI and tech concepts in Yoruba. In fact, as a true scientist, I documented all of this in a paper on AI Literacy in Low Resource Languages.”
Hearing her speak about this reminds me of a moment from Valentine’s Day when a friend wished me, “Àkù ayẹyẹ ọjọ́ àwọn olólùfẹ́.” It sounded so rich and full of meaning, so much deeper than just “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Isn’t that the power of language? To take something universal and make it deeply personal?
To do extraordinary grand things at times does not require a grand reason or motive. What exactly inspired Wuarola to take up this cause of teaching science in Yoruba? “It would be more fun to say there’s a big reason or strategy behind it, but honestly, it was something I did randomly that took off,” she admits. “I work in AI, I speak a lot of Yoruba and, one day, I decided to make a video explaining AI in Yoruba. To my surprise, people everywhere started watching it, especially on LinkedIn.”
With approximately 8,324 languages in the world today, many are at risk of disappearing due to globalisation and societal shifts. Wuraola believes languages that fail to evolve in vocabulary and usage risk fading into extinction. So it’s important that you and I find new words, coin new terms in our languages and use them consistently, even in casual online conversations, she suggests.
“Some of the most important data used in AI training comes from online sources. If a language is missing from these datasets, it is like a digital death.”
“The people best qualified to curate this data are native speakers with technical expertise. And the good news? is that anyone interested can contribute. It could be through random videos on social media, casual conversations, or even written commentary.”
With about 47 videos on her YouTube channel, Wuraola covers everything from the introductory data science to tutorials on AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini. She also explains tech career paths, proving there is something for everyone interested in technology.
Beyond the scientific framework she is helping to build, the most rewarding part of her work is seeing others embrace their native languages in digital spaces. Her insights show that her videos have been viewed in over 22 countries.
Her work is inspiring others to create tech content in their native languages, preserving them in the digital age. Because, as she explains, if a language isn’t represented online, it risks disappearing from the digital world altogether.
As we mark the 25th anniversary of International Mother Language Day, this year’s theme, “Languages Matter!” reinforces the importance of linguistic diversity in fostering dignity, peace, and understanding. Language is more than just a means of communication; it shapes identity, strengthens cultural heritage, and ensures that knowledge remains accessible to all, regardless of the tongue they speak.
And if Wuraola’s work proves anything, it’s this: Yoruba, and every other language, has a place in the digital world. Even in tech.
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Photo Credit: Wuraola Oyewusi
