As the world learns to adapt to unpredictable and severe weather conditions caused by climate change, some areas are creating innovative solutions that rely on communication across borders. One such project is the African Union (AU)‘s Great Green Wall (GGW) initiative, which aims to stop the spread of the Sahara Desert by restoring 100 million hectares of degraded land spanning 11 nations.
The massive continental project is primarily centered around the Sahel region due to its front-row seat to climate change. National Geographic reports show that at least 500 million people in the region are living on land that is undergoing desertification, threatening their survival as well as the environment’s.
In 2007, the AU established a 23-year plan to reforest the Sahel, as well as capture 250 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and create 10 million local jobs. The 11 countries where greenery will be planted are known as core implementation countries; additionally, seven other nations known as associated countries provide broad resources and financial support.
Cross-cultural collaboration and multilingual communication are essential to the project. Among the 18 countries involved in GGW, there are seven official languages used between them: English, Arabic, French, Portuguese, Somali, Tigrinya, and Amharic. It is important to note that regional, tribal, and indigenous languages are equally spoken alongside every official language in different social settings. Sometimes, the geographic area where the project is taking place is so remote that communication with project managers and other officials in a common language is extremely difficult.
Stakeholders, including financial backers such as the European Union and the United States, have all stressed that the only way to successfully finish the project by 2030 is through collaborative efforts to educate local populations about sustainable and effective horticultural practices. A key way that the AU has been able to make considerable progress across participating nations is through mutual understanding of its agroforestry and sustainable development programs, including techniques and long-term benefits.
Because there are many languages used across the project landscape, professional language services from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international organizations — like the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the African Development Bank — are used to provide linguistic resources to better spread awareness and meet project goals. Ultimately, the GGW depends on millions of linguistically and culturally diverse people working together across borders to save their land.
