This panel discussion shared experiences and perspectives on language rights in France, Nigeria, Ireland, and Bolivia. The panelists, guided by moderator Dr. Anujeema Saikia, explored questions of effective language activism, implementation of language policy, and grassroots language reclamation with or without state support.

Panelists include: 

Cllare Adelheid Chèvrier, linguist and language activist for Romance Lothringian (France)

Johnson Akano, documentary linguist with special interest in Tunzu and other East Kainji languages (Nigeria)

Joe Simpson, linguist and language policy scholar for Celtic languages (Ireland)

Nicaela Leon, illustrator, linguist, and language advocate for Qhichwa (Bolivia)

Moderator: Dr. Anujeema Saikia, linguist and language advocate for languages of Northeast India, and co-chair of the Global Coalition for Language Rights; 2022 ELP intern.

This event was part of 2024's Global Language Advocacy Days (#GLAD24), organized by the Global Coalition for Language Rights. Learn more at