Social networking, chatting, and participating in conversations have grown into a massive market as the abilities of digital technology have progressed. Through these developments, many people now prefer the power of live audio conversations instead of tweeting on Twitter or Clubhouse’s social audio chat rooms.
One company providing EdTech solutions is working on launching something similar for the millions of Africans living on the continent and abroad. Known for its African language-learning app, Izesan! is soon launching Uwa, its version of Twitter Spaces and Clubhouse, designed to focus on discussion topics and issues of interest to them.
Izesan! has thrown its energy into developing machine learning and artificial intelligence to translate speech across different African languages (i.e., English to Yoruba, Swahili, Hausa, Igbo, etc., and vice-versa).
Importance of Keeping Language Alive
Language awareness has continued to decrease across Africa over the last decade as the continent embraces the dividends of ‘civilization.’ Fortunately, people like Anthony Otaigbe fight against this downward spiral, making efforts for the continent to maintain its cultures and traditions.
“African languages can be said to be one of the most diverse languages in the world,” says Otaigbe, “yet they remain the least studied.” He continues, “Izesan! is an app created to extend a long-lasting solution to this social mishap by bringing back the African sensibility with the sizzling rebirth of Africa’s rich culture through technology to the rest of the world.”
The secret of maintaining any language alive lies in immersing people in its culture and encouraging them to listen, speak and write it as often as possible. In order to facilitate this, Izesan! launched its very own keyboard called the Izesan! Keyboard which enables users to write using the alphabet of up to five different languages.
Language learning applications like DuoLingo, Babbel, and Izesan! make it easier than ever before to learn a language and practice it.
However, practicing a language in isolation has one drawback – the learner does not have the chance to rehearse the language conversationally, nor can they hear the words they learn in another context.
Uwa by Izesan! provides language learners the chance to do more than learn the basics. Much like one can on Twitter Spaces and Clubhouse, Uwa users can join audio chats about trending topics and current affairs that will even allow them to translate audio to help them advance their language learning.
Izesan!’s Herculean Task
As an American-born Nigerian, Anthony Otaigbe started his career as a Certified Public Accountant. After working in government and private organizations, he decided it was time to follow his dream of creating a technology-based business and working toward Nigerian cultural preservation.
Otaigbe founded the Otaigbe Group in 2017. He has declared that his financial background acted as his economic springboard for making his mission come true. As a result, he started creating Izesan! in 2019 as a platform for the diaspora of the Esan people of Nigeria. By 2020 the application included the Yorùbá, Igbo, and Hausa languages. Today, the platform offers over 300 courses in 12 African languages.
One of the biggest tasks for the startup was creating an enabling environment for new African language learners. Therefore, they have concentrated on finding unique channels that learners can relate to and have fun with while learning. As a result, Izesan! came to life as a platform that provides much more than boring lessons.
Users can enjoy an immersive experience within the app that includes illustrated lessons, online tutors, music videos, and an audiobook section with traditional stories and folklore. Besides the unique blend of fun and learning, the platform teaches its users the correct accents, pronunciations, and tones. They can practice these even further with the upcoming Uwa by joining audio chats with users globally.
At the same time, Izesan! is tackling another exciting element within the African market, the ever-growing gaming industry, by preparing to release their gaming app, Izesanland! BETA, soon.
Based in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, and Washington, D.C., Anthony enjoys helping his clients excel in their respective business fields by providing personalized services that include tax advice and preparation, attestation, business consulting, and software.
Final Words
As Anthony Otaigbe travels between Africa and America, he remains a devoted family man. In addition, as a dedicated lecturer at Northern Virginia Community College, he enjoys passing his knowledge to his students as he works towards obtaining his doctoral degree in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. Finally, through Uwa, Izesan! continues to grow its mission of immortalizing more African languages than ever before!
Check out their Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn to learn more.
