[ Home ]
[ Speeches & statements ]
South Africa to host a regional conference of the African Academy of Languages
27 February 2008
The Department of Arts and Culture invites media to an opening ceremony of a conference for the Southern African region of the African Academy of Languages (ACALAN). Dr Pallo Jordan was elected as a member of the Interim Governing Board, representing the Southern Region of Africa. It is in this capacity that the Minister was approached to host the regional conference for the Southern Africa's Development Community (SADC) region.
The conference will take place from 5 to 7 March 2008 under the theme "National policies: the role of cross border languages and the place of lesser used languages in Southern Region of Africa." The theme underscores the importance of common language policies and linguistic diversity in the African continent. ACALAN is a body of the African Union (AU) located in Bamako, in Mali, that deals with the development and promotion of languages through organising conferences on selected topics. The conference is expected to produce recommendations which will be presented at the next annual general meeting of ACALAN.
Details of the events are as follows:
Opening ceremony:
Date: 5 March 2008
Time: 08h30
Venue: Cedar Park Hotel and Conference Centre, 120 Western Service Road, Woodmead Sandton.
The conference will culminate with a closing ceremony on 7 March 2008 at 11h30 at Cedar Park Hotel and Conference Centre.
RSVP:
Mpho Matjele
Cell: 082 902 7238
Enquiries:
Mack Lewele
Cell: 082 450 5076
Issued by: Department of Arts and Culture
27 February 2008