Amazwi is set to host the third instalment of the African Languages Week (ALW), from 21 February to 28 February 2025. The event, under the auspices of African Academy of Languages (ACALAN) will be virtual. Several SADC states that include Swatini, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana and Zimbabwe are expected to participate.

The event will kick-off on 21 February will the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) celebrating the UNESCO’s International Mother Language Day. On 24 and 25 February, Amazwi will host the Amazwi-Puku Children Storytelling Festival.               On Wednesday, 26 February, Amazwi will host two webinars. The one in the morning will focus on indigenous plants, food, clan names, and publishing. The afternoon webinar will be more on creative writing and African music instruments and performance.

The theme for 2025 is “My language, my heritage, my dignity”. The planned programme will include environmental discussion around names of some of indigenous plants, the importance of clan names, and writing, publishing and reading in indigenous languages.

ACALAN was established by the then President of Mali, His Excellency Alpha Oumar Konare, in 2000 and it was adopted into the statues of the African Union in 2006. This body has a long history, and the aim is to “Promote African Languages for a peaceful, prosperous and integrated Africa”.

In 2022, Amazwi hosted the event with poets from across Africa and the diaspora reading works mostly in their own mother tongue. And, in 2023, the event featured indigenous writers that have won the prestigious South African Literary Awards (SALA) in isiXhosa Poetry Category.

The event will wrap up with a virtual Reddits Poetry on 28 February. Reddits Poetry is a monthly open mic event hosted every last Friday of the month by Amazwi, physically and virtually. In this solely virtual event, participants throughout Africa and the diaspora are welcomed to read their own poetry pieces or other authors’ pieces in whatever language they like and understand.