Department of Ghanaian Language and Linguistics Celebrates International Mother Language Day

The Department of Ghanaian Language and Linguistics, University of Cape Coast (UCC), has commemorated the 2025 International Mother Language Day (IMLD) celebration with a talk on "Bible Translation as a Shaper of Language and Theology: Some 18th Century Case Studies from the Gold Coast (Ghana).

Observed annually on February 21, IMLD promotes multilingualism and cultural diversity. It was established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1999 and first celebrated in 2000. The day honours the 1952 sacrifices of language activists in Bangladesh, where students in Dhaka protested for Bengali to be recognized as a national language.

In his welcome address, the Head of the Department, Dr. Vincent Erskine Aziaku, highlighted the significance of the day in raising awareness about language preservation. He stressed that IMLD "helps to foster inclusivity and encourage multi-lingualism."

Dr. Aziaku also called on the government to facilitate the employment of new members of faculty for the Department since many Twi lecturers had retired without replacements.

"There is a decline in academic staff in the Department, but new lecturers are not employed because of a lack of clearance from the government," he stated.

Very Rev. Prof. John D. K. Ekem, Superintendent Minister, Cape Coast West Circuit-Methodist Church Ghana

The event featured a presentation by the Very Rev. Prof. John D. K. Ekem, Superintendent Minister of the Cape Coast West Circuit of the Methodist Church Ghana and Immediate Past Translation Consultant of the Bible Society of Ghana. Speaking on the topic, "Bible Translation as a Shaper of Language and Theology: Some 18th Century Case Studies from the Gold Coast (Ghana)”. Prof. Ekem discussed the impact of Bible translation on Ghanaian languages such as Mfantse, Ga, Bono, amongst others.

He highlighted the contributions of 18th-century scholars Joannes Elisa Jacobus Capitein (1717-1747) and Christian Jacobus Africanus Protten (1715-1769) in translating sections of the Bible into Mfantse.

"Capitein translated Dutch to 'Mfantse' and also the Greek text of Matthew 6:9a to 'Mfantse' text," he noted.

Prof. Ekem further explained that Capitein and Protten "employed basic linguistic skills to adapt Dutch and Danish orthographies to 'Mfantse' and 'Ga' sounds, respectively." He emphasized that they were not merely passive translators of catechism material but "dynamic interpreters of texts contextualized in the local setting via the limited resources at their disposal."

A section of participants

Concluding his presentation, Very Rev. Prof. Ekem noted that "Protten’s work most likely influenced Hanson’s theologizing efforts in the nineteenth century, and Capitein laid a solid foundation for groundbreaking mother tongue biblical interpretation, using relevant African symbols."

He further asserted that "together with their promotion of indigenous languages on the Gold Coast and their direct engagement of biblical texts with African worldviews or epistemological systems, they were true torchbearers of mother tongue theologies brewed in an African pot."

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC