Eduardo Avila, the founder and director of the Bolivian People's Voices project, emphasised the need for bilingualism in the bloggosphere.
The journalist who said, "I blogg in English and twitter in Spanish", insisted that his choices as a reporter are a function of his target audiences. While stating that multi-lingual people should be a bridge in the efforts to revive and sustain local languages, Avila highlighted the need for blogs to be created in these local languages in anticipation of eventual internet literacy even in countries like Cameroon where over 200 languages exist where less than 5% of the population are internet savvy.
Avila started the project to promote the use of the indigenious languages in Bolivia. Bolivians are taught how to blog in their own languages, upload photos and podcasts, and partake in the twittering phenomenon.
The project runs workshops and mentorships to help locals use internet resources and practice citizen journalism.
By: Chwayitisa Futshane and Chem-Langhee Bifon
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