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Press release WOCAL6-Cologne From August 17th to 21st, 2009, the 6th World Congress of African Linguistics (WOCAL6-Cologne) will be held at the University of Cologne. WOCAL is the world’s largest congress series in the field of African Linguistics. The coming congress is being organised by the university’s Institute for African Studies under the chairmanship of Matthias Brenzinger. The motto of WOCAL6-Cologne is “African Linguistics for Understanding and Progress”, underlining the organisers’ aim to not only present high-quality research findings in the field of African linguistics, but to also place scientific research on African languages in its proper socio-political context. WOCAL takes place every three years, hosted in turn by African universities and universities on other continents. Past congresses were held in Swaziland (1994), Germany (1997), Togo (2000), USA (2003) and Ethiopia (2006). In 2008, a “Special WOCAL” was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil. WOCAL6 will be opened in Cologne on August 17th at 9:30 a.m. by Neville Alexander, who will speak about the importance of African languages in education and other areas of African cultural and political life. Sponsored by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Alexander obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Tuebingen in 1961. He was imprisoned after returning to his native South Africa in 1963 and confined to Robben Island for 10 years. After his release from custody, he was placed under house arrest for a further 5 years, until the German government intervened and he was freed in 1978. Today, he is one of the most renowned language planners and cultural activists on the African continent. With his “Project for the study of alternative education in South Africa” (PRAESA), he works tirelessly for the emancipation of African languages through improved language policies. Other keynote note speakers of the congress, namely Salikoko Mufwene, Tucker Childs and Ian Maddison are sponsored by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Within the framework of WOCAL6, the first international forum for African Sign Languages will also take place. The forum will begin on August 18th at 9 a.m. with a keynote lecture entitled „The importance of Deaf involvement in African sign languages research", delivered by the Ugandan linguist Sam Lutalo. Lutalo is currently studying at the University of Manchester, the first deaf African in a Ph.D. program. The presentations in the Sign Language section will be simultaneously translated into German sign language (DGS) and International Sign Language (ISL). The presentations delivered in sign language will be translated into spoken English. The Nubian languages are another focal point of WOCAL6-Cologne. With sponsorship by the Fritz Thyssen-Foundation, Anne Storch, acting director of the Institute for African Studies at the University of Cologne, has invited renowned Nubian language scholars from such countries as Sudan and Egypt. This special symposium will take place on August 18th and 19th within the framework of WOCAL6. WOCAL was founded in 1994 in Southern Africa to overcome the scientific isolation of linguists from South Africa caused by the academic boycott of the Apartheid regime. Even today, the organisers’ main goal is to enable as many African colleagues as possible to take part in the congress. With this goal in mind, the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) funded by the Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit (BMZ, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development) has invited more than 30 African scholars to attend a Summer School during the period of August 13th to 21st. This event will include participation in WOCAL6. Among other things, a DAAD Alumni-network will be established to coordinate cooperation with German universities in matters of African language research and teaching. Most of the planned WOCAL presentations will cover classic linguistic disciplines, such as ”phonetics and phonology” and “morphology and syntax”. At the same time, numerous innovative themes will also be offered. One new section, for example, will focus on the interface between language policy and poverty alleviation. In all, about 280 presentations on African languages will be held, covering all the main areas of linguistic research and all the main regions of the African continent. Up to 600 scholars, hailing from more than 50 countries, are expected to attend the WOCAL6 in Cologne. The congress venue is the Hoersaalgebaeude at the University of Cologne, located on the Albertus-Magnus-Platz. Congress tickets for €60 and day tickets for €20 are available at the congress. Congress homepage: http://www.uni-koeln.de/phil-fak/afrikanistik/wocal/index.shtml Contact: [log in to unmask] Dr Rhiannon Stephens Past and Present Post-Doctoral Fellow, 2008-09 Institute of Historical Research University of London