An article published by the Washington Post on Saturday, April 13th, 2024, mentioned that as tensions rise between Mali and France, efforts to utilize artificial intelligence in creating books for children in local languages such as Bambara are increasing. Due to political tensions between the two countries, the military government in Mali decided to replace French as an “official” language with Bambara and 12 other indigenous languages, while retaining French in government institutions and public schools. Artificial intelligence is now being used in Mali’s schools to enhance education in its local languages.
This change signifies a greater political will behind efforts like those undertaken by RobotsMali, a startup that used artificial intelligence to create over 140 books in Bambara language, as stated by Seni Tougneen, an official at the Ministry of Education in Mali who assisted the company in creating its books. He noted that the government and the people are now “immersed in the desire to learn local languages and appreciate their value.”
The team members of RobotsMali request stories for their books through ChatGPT. (Washington Post)
RobotsMali uses artificial intelligence to produce stories that reflect the lives and culture of ordinary Malians. Instead of simply translating a classic French novel like “Le Petit Prince – The Little Prince” into Bambara language, the RobotsMali team puts demands on the ChatGPT artificial intelligence platform such as: “Tell me about harmful things children do.”
The team, which first gained prominence on the Rest of World website, works to remove inappropriate examples for most children in Mali, then uses Google translation – which added Bambara language in 2022 and uses artificial intelligence to enhance translations – for a test translation, after which experts like Tougneen correct any errors.
Another staff member uses a variety of image creation tools based on artificial intelligence to illustrate stories and ensure the connection of characters with young readers, then turns to ChatGPT to formulate reading comprehension tests.
In the school semester in the rural village of Savo in Mali, dozens of students who had dropped out of or never attended public schools sat, listening to their teacher read a story about things children should avoid, such as wasting food, bullying others, and disobeying adults. At times, the teacher asked the students to read aloud and they did so enthusiastically, and at other times, they gently corrected each other’s mistakes.
Children in a school in Savo, Mali, on April 4th, enjoying reading books in the original Bambara language containing stories created using smart technology – according to the Washington Post.
Most students had never seen their mother tongue in its written form until recently. Now they eagerly pronounce the words appearing on the ThinkPad laptops’ screens, sometimes stumbling when reading a story written in Bambara, the popular language in Mali, which was displayed on their screens and translated using artificial intelligence.
Almost a thousand languages in Africa are not present on the Internet, prompting artificial intelligence platforms like ChatGPT to train themselves on them.
When basic questions are posed in the two most common languages in Ethiopia, namely Amharic and Tigrinya, to ChatGPT for instance, it produces a mix of the two languages and sometimes other languages that are incomprehensible.
Professor Nate Allen, an associate professor at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies based in Washington, stated that the United States and China are undoubtedly leading in the field of artificial intelligence technology. However, he pointed out that the efforts made in Mali demonstrate that we are now living in an era where access to artificial intelligence technology is made easier.
Tougneen, who started collaborating with RobotsMali after undergoing artificial intelligence training by the company, mentioned that the program
Made his ministry work more efficiently, and added that within just one week, two books were produced thanks to this collaboration.
At the same time, Tougning pointed out that previous efforts by the Malian government to introduce the Bambara language in public schools had largely failed due to funding shortages, inadequate teacher training, and parents’ lack of interest in teaching their children non-French languages in schools.
However, he mentioned an increase in interest in the importance of learning to read and write in national languages in recent years, which are languages commonly spoken initially, partly due to the government’s rejection of French dominance and focus on national sovereignty.
Bakary Sahogo, who works with RobotsMali as a member of the Ministry of Education, emphasized the importance of writing in Bambara and other local languages: “It enriches our cultural and linguistic heritage, and helps us protect and develop our culture.”
It is worth noting that the new Malian constitution excluded the French language, which had been the official language of West African countries since 1960.
Based on the new constitution, approved by a majority of 96.91% of the votes in a referendum held on June 18, 2023, French is no longer the official language.
French will only be used in the workplace, and the 13 national languages spoken in the country will be designated as official languages.
Based on the new text, approved by 96.91% of the votes, national languages have become official languages. The new constitution grants broader powers to the president and ends the third presidential term.
There are around 70 local languages spoken in the country, including languages such as Bambara, Bobo, Dogon, and Minianka, with some of these languages being considered national languages according to a decree issued in 1982.
