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Welcome to the Ekegusii Internet Living Dictionary and

Encyclopedia 

Ekegusii Encyclopedia Project (EEP) is dedicated to Ekegusii, the language of the Abagusii of 

Kenya. It aims to encourage its use, promotion, preservation and revitalization. Language is themedium through which knowledge is passed on. The culture and traditions of a community are

best expressed through its mother tongue, as are its values and way of life.

Ekegusii is endangered, and there are several reasons for this. Increasing globalisation means

that business is now generally conducted in Kiswahili or English. Ekegusii is also used less

frequently at home, at church, and at school. Individuals who still use Ekegusii tend to be the

elderly.

Unless something is done, there is a real danger that the language will cease to exist. If Ekegusii

is to survive, authoritative reference materials need to be available. They need to be in printed

versions in libraries, but they also need to be on-line, so that the young will be encouraged to usethem.

This is the dual purpose of the Ekegusii Encyclopedia Project. Ekegusii may not be the language

of industry and commerce, but this is no reason for it to disappear. For the Abagusii, it is an

essential part of their identity and reality.

The community knows that the language needs to be preserved for future generations, and that

action must be taken now, whilst enough fluent speakers of Ekegusii remain to oversee it. You

can support our effort by making a voluntary donation, by buying promotional materials, or

becoming a member by subscription.

Please support this project. All funds raised will be used to preserve, promote and revitalize this

language.

EEP

what others say 

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his

language that goes to his heart". 'Nelson Mandela, former South Afrina president and antiapartheid icon'  

“Mother languages, along with linguistic diversity, matter for the identity of individuals. As

sources of creativity and vehicles for cultural expression, they are also important for the health of 

societies. Not least, languages are factors for development and growth. We know how importanteducation in the mother language is for learning outcomes. Mother language instruction is a

 powerful way to fight discrimination and reach out to marginalized populations. As wellsprings

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of knowledge, languages are also starting points for greater sustainability in development, for 

managing more harmoniously our relationship with the environment and change”. 'Irina Bokava

UNESCO Secretary General'  

Humanity's greatest legacy is the "ethnosphere," the cultural counterpart to the biosphere, and

"the sum total of all thoughts and dreams, myths, ideas, inspirations, intuitions brought into being by the human imagination since the dawn of consciousness." "Every language is an old-

growth forest of the mind." Davis Wade of National Geographic and Harvard-

educated ethnobotanist.