Language of the "Global Future": A Conversation with Dr. Adams Bodomo

The following interview is based on Volume 2 of the inaugural lecture monograph series, exploring linguistic Pan-Africanism and its role in shaping Africa's future. Fifi, a young writer from South Africa, reflects on her encounter with Dr. Bodomo and their conversation about African languages.

Fifi: Let's start with how we met. It was pretty serendipitous, wasn't it?

Dr. Bodomo: laughs It really was! I was at a Taiwanese night market—you know how vibrant those places are—and I saw this young woman who reminded me so much of my daughter. I couldn't help but call out, "Who is this that looks like my daughter?!" You probably thought I was a bit eccentric.

Fifi: I'll admit, I was hesitant at first—random professor approaching me at a night market, you know? But when you mentioned you were a writer and master of African languages, I figured fate was pushing me in the right direction. I was writing short stories at the time, so the connection felt meant to be. The next day we met for coffee, and what I thought would be a casual chat turned into this incredible lecture.

Dr. Bodomo: I'm a teacher first, a lecturer second. The accolades—Professor, Doctor—they can create distance. I wanted to connect as a person passionate about African languages and literature. I speak as a linguist, yes, but that informs my position as a Pan-Africanist. I'm not a politician; I'm an educator trying to preserve and celebrate our linguistic heritage.

Fifi: That approach really struck me. You didn't introduce yourself with all your academic titles, which made the conversation feel more genuine. But let's talk about something historically significant. During apartheid, Ghana and South Africa shared Pan-African ideas despite the physical and political barriers. How does that legacy influence your work today?

Dr. Bodomo: That solidarity during apartheid was crucial. Ghana, like other African nations, supported the liberation struggle not just politically but culturally and linguistically. We understood that South Africa's freedom was tied to Ghana's freedom, Kenya's freedom—all of Africa's liberation. Those shared Pan-African ideals during that dark period showed us that our languages and cultures are weapons against oppression and tools for unity.

Fifi: You handed me a book during our conversation—"Linguistic Pan-Africanism as a Global Future: Reflections on the Language Question in Africa." What's the core argument?

Dr. Bodomo: The book argues that linguistic Pan-Africanism isn't just a phenomenon—it's a plain field that already exists. Look at how people in the same regions naturally speak similar dialects. In South Africa, you see connections between Zulu, Tonga, Sesotho, Setswana. The Southern African Development Community has this shared responsibility to create a landscape where Africans can communicate freely, without translators.

Fifi: What struck me was learning that if you come from the townships—from Kasi—knowing six languages is normal. But somehow we're not leveraging this incredible multilingual ability. The book mentions some fascinating statistics about global languages. Can you break that down?

Dr. Bodomo: According to Lewis, Simon, and Fennig's 2009 research, there are at least 7,102 living languages worldwide. Asia leads with 2,301, but Africa is second with 2,138 languages. That's compared to 1,313 in the Pacific, 1,064 in the Americas, and just 286 in Europe. Africa isn't just a mineral resource continent—it's a language resource continent.

Fifi: That's incredible. But here's the tension I had to challenge you on—you mentioned that the majority of African children are 16 years old, yet we're not producing our own minerals or using them to our full abilities. We're at this peak of potential growth, but everything we have, we export. It seems like African voices aren't being taken seriously. And can there really be one African voice when the African Union isn't even functioning as a true union?

Dr. Bodomo: Those are valid concerns, and I appreciated you raising them. But that's precisely why linguistic Pan-Africanism matters. When we can communicate across our diverse languages, when we find those similarities between our cultures, our foods, our fashion—that's when we build the foundation for real economic and political unity.

Fifi: You also emphasize oral literature in your work. Why is that crucial to this vision?

Dr. Bodomo: African languages have a long tradition in oral literature. These aren't just communication tools—they're repositories of wisdom, history, and cultural identity. When we strengthen our linguistic connections, we're preserving and sharing these oral traditions across the continent.

Fifi: For young people reading this—both millennials and Gen Z—what's the practical takeaway? How do we engage with this "global future"?

Dr. Bodomo: The diaspora has always had to rely on each other to survive. Now we need to come together around language—teach each other, find similarities, and shape this global future together. It's not about abandoning our individual languages but about building bridges between them.

Fifi: For me, it's about recognizing that we're already living this multilingual reality. Instead of seeing it as a challenge, we should see it as a superpower. How can we use social media, technology, and our natural language abilities to connect across borders? What does this mean for Africa's future?

Dr. Bodomo: We're sitting on this incredible linguistic wealth. The question isn't whether we can create a Pan-African future—it's whether we'll recognize the tools we already have to build it. Our languages, our multilingual capabilities, our shared cultural foundations—they're all here. We just need to wake up and remember.

Fifi: That conversation completely shifted my perspective. You handed me not just a book, but a new way of thinking about our linguistic heritage as a path to unity and growth. It's exciting to think about how we, as people of the diaspora, can start to shape this Pan-African global future by bringing our languages alive again.

Dr. Adams Bodomo is Professor and Chair of African Linguistics and Literature at the University of Vienna, Faculty of Philosophical and Cultural Studies. His work explores the intersection of language, culture, and Pan-African identity in the contemporary world.