BASAbali’s initiative to preserve Balinese language earns UNESCO prize for literacy
An initiative from Bali-based organization BASAbali, which is aimed at preserving local languages, was awarded the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy this week.
Founded in 2011, BASAbali is an organization made up of both local and international scholars, as well as community members, who have been collaborating to save the Balinese language.
Their work came about in response to concerns that more and more Balinese people have stopped using their mother tongue on a daily basis, especially when communicating on social media platforms.
The UNESCO Confucius Prize was awarded to BASAbali’s multimedia Balinese-English-Indonesian dictionary program, which the organization utilized in order to engage members of the public to revitalize local languages for the digital age.
“We are very grateful to have won this prestigious award from UNESCo. I want to emphasize that this is a win for the people [of Bali], and the Balinese language itself,” Clara, BASAbali Wiki’s external program director, told Coconuts Bali.
The BASAbali wiki also makes it easy to access traditional texts, modern Balinese literature and photographs online.
BASAbali was also recognized for its work in February last year when it won the International Linguapax Award, a prize for outstanding contributions in linguistic diversity and multiculturalism.
According to the organization’s website, the wiki has been used by almost 500,000 users to date.
“We hope to be able to mobilize our movement even further in preserving Balinese language through digital means. We’re not going to stop here of course. There’s much to do for us to ensure that Balinese language will not only be preserved, but thrive,” Clara said.
NOTE: The story has been updated to include quotes from BASAbali.
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