28 August 2026
On the 24th of August 2026, the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR) brought together researchers, academics and digital humanities enthusiasts for a powerful one-day DH-IGNITE workshop at Birchwood Hotel.
The workshop explored the growing intersection of digital humanities, computational social sciences, technology and indigenous language research, with a strong focus on equipping researchers with practical digital tools and creating opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.
The day featured an inspiring line-up of speakers and facilitators: Prof Gilbert Motsaathebe, Ms Jessica Mabaso, Mrs Marissa Griesel, Mr Deon du Plessis and Dr Sinoyolo Nokutywa.
The sessions created space for meaningful conversations around indigenous language media research, digital research methods, AI, ethical considerations, data-driven scholarship and the preservation and development of South Africa’s official languages. A key highlight was the opportunity to explore how digital humanities approaches can help researchers work with larger digital datasets, strengthen indigenous language research and build stronger collaborations across disciplines.
The workshop also highlighted the important role of SADiLaR and ESCALATOR in building research capacity and fostering a growing community of practice in digital humanities across South Africa. From thought-provoking presentations and practical demonstrations to engaging Q&As and networking, the day was a reminder that the future of research is increasingly collaborative, digital and interdisciplinary.
A huge thank you to all the speakers, facilitators, researchers and participants who contributed to making the workshop such a meaningful and engaging experience.
By: Nqobile Manatha