JULY 28-29 COMMUNIQUE

INTRODUCTION

This document presents the outcomes of a two-day Somali-Maay Language and Cultural Conference held on July 28-19 in Borås, Sweden. This communique (Borås Communique) presents recommendations that came out of the conference. Borås Communique is intended to be the building blocks for the standardization of the Maay script (Elif-Maay), guide for the dissemination, and preservation of the Maay cultural and language heritages.

CONFERENCE PURPOSE

On July 28-29, Center for Peace Building Initiative (CBPI) in collaboration with Southwest Somali Association in Sweden (SSAS) have concluded a two-day Somali-Maay language and cultural conference (Conference) in Borås, Sweden. With over 150 delegates from all over the world, the two-day conference composed scholarly presentations that included historical development of Elif-Maay, discussions on the current challenges and recommendations for next steps. The purpose of the Conference was to create not only a stimulating scholarly discussion but also establish mechanisms that support;

• –  Somali-Maay language (Af-Maay) preservation and promotion;
• –  knowledge exchange and dissemination; and
• –  establishing building-blocks for the development/advancement of standardized Elif-Maay.OUTCOMESFollowing two-days of discussions and deliberations, the Conference attendees agreed that all stakeholders of the Af-Maay speaking populations have a role to play in order to preserve and promote the cultural and language heritage of the Af-Maay speaking people. Participants affirm that:
  1. language is a significant part of people’s identity, it is also the intrinsic and extrinsic means to express people’s culture and a written script is a pre-requisite if a language is to be preserved from extinction;
  2. there are varieties of Elif-Maay developed over the past twenty-five years. People use different scripts, and this is in need for standardization;
  3. scholarly committee be established to develop recommendations for standardized Elif- Maay;
  4. the Civil Society including education institutions contribute at local level Af-Maaypreservation and promotion activities;
  5. state government committee be established for the advancement of Af-Maay. In collaboration with scholars and other intellectuals all over the world, this committee will undertake research and knowledge dissemination of Af-Maay literature and the translation of those that have been collected in different languages.
  6. academia leads the collection, coordination and documentation of Af-Maay and cultural heritages;
  7. private and public institutions invest in mass media (TV, Radio and print media) that are well-trained and equipped for the Af-Maay speaking audiences.[END]

Sydvästsomaliska Riksförbudendet I Sverige