ILMA Academics Rake in Awards from the Faculty of Humanities

By Gofaone Cascious Motsamai

The Indigenous Language Media in Africa (ILMA) research entity at North-West University (NWU) proudly celebrated the remarkable achievements of its members, who were recognized for their excellence in research at the recent NWU Faculty of Humanities Staff Awards. These accolades are a testament to ILMA’s dedication to advancing indigenous language media scholarship and underscore its significant impact within African academia.

ILMA’s Director, Professor Abiodun Salawu, received two prestigious awards: he was named among the Top 3 Professor Researchers and was also honored with the Exceptional Research Award. These recognitions highlight Prof. Salawu’s outstanding contributions to indigenous language studies and his dedication to high-impact research, which has helped shape the landscape of African language media.

Professor Gilbert Motsaathebe, another prominent ILMA scholar, was awarded the NRF Rated Researcher – C2 award. This honor from the National Research Foundation (NRF) acknowledges his significant contributions to media studies and indigenous language research, further establishing him as a champion of African languages in the media sphere.

Completing ILMA’s recognition, Ofentse Ngake, a lecturer and PhD student associated with ILMA, was celebrated as one of the Top 3 Junior Lecturer Researchers. This award underscores his accomplishments as an emerging scholar within the entity and reflects ILMA’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of academics dedicated to indigenous language preservation.

Reflecting on his recognition, Ngake emphasised the inspiring environment ILMA provides for young researchers. “ILMA is an entity that highly values research, and being in an environment like that, you get highly motivated and influenced to study further,” he noted. “As a young academic, I aspire to become like my seniors in the entity and to have a number of publications under my name. This award signifies to me that this is just the beginning of many achievements, confirming that I’m on the right path within the right entity.”

These awards underscore ILMA’s mission to preserve and elevate African languages through pioneering research. The recognitions received by Prof. Salawu, Prof. Motsaathebe, and Mr. Ngake serve as a powerful endorsement of ILMA’s influence within academia, highlighting its vital role in shaping the future of indigenous language media across Africa.