Sharjah 24: Under the generous patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah, Chairman of the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah, the Academy organised, in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, the preparatory symposium to launch the “Arab-African Dictionary” project, with the participation of experts and specialists of linguistic dictionaries, with the aim of discovering and establishing the relationship between the Arabic language and African languages, most of which until recently used the Arabic script in writing texts.

The symposium included speeches by Dr. Khalil Al Nahwi, Chairman of the Arabic Language Council in Mauritania, Dr. Abdullah Muhammad Abdel Malik, Professor at the Higher Institute for Islamic Studies and Research, Abu Bakr Al Haj Mahmoud Ba, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute for the Promotion and Teaching of National Languages, and Dr. Abou Amadou Ba, Professor of History at the University of Nouakchott.

Dr. Muhammad Safi Al Mosteghanemi, Secretary General of the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah, said that in light of contemporary developments, there is an urgent need to look into the roots of the Arabic language and its profound influence on global languages. This is why the (African Arabic Dictionary) project is an important step in this context, as it reveals the close links between Arabic and African languages, and confirms that Arabic was never a language confined to geographical borders, but rather was and still is a source of inspiration and communication between the world’s civilizations.
Al Mosteghanemi added that the interest of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, in the Arabic language reflects an insightful vision of the importance of the language as a basic pillar in human civilization. With its ancient history and great influence, it has contributed to shaping the cultural identity of the African peoples, and it still plays a pivotal role in enhancing cultural communication between nations. 
 
Participants in the preparatory symposium for the “Arab-African Dictionary” project exchanged views on the best ways to organise lexical material.

Speakers discussed the experience of teaching African languages in the Mauritanian educational curricula, noting the importance of this step in forming a new generation of bilinguals who contribute to enriching research and studies related to the relationship between the Arabic language and African languages.

The Arabic Language Council in Mauritania also began implementing the recommendations of the Arabic Language Conference, which was recently organised in Gambia, and revealed a rich African heritage, during which Africans used the Arabic script in writing, documentation, and correspondence, over centuries.