Photo provided by Kaisanan Ahuan

As part of a new social media campaign to celebrate linguistic diversity online throughout Asia, every week a different language activist and advocate will be taking turns managing the @AsiaLangsOnline Twitter account to share their experiences with the revitalization and promotion of their native languages. This campaign is a collaboration between Rising Voices, the Digital Empowerment Foundation, and the O Foundation.

Each week, the upcoming host will answer several questions about their background and will give a brief overview of their language. This Q&A is with Kaisanan Ahuan (@AhuanKaisanan) who will provide a sneak preview of what he will be discussing during his week as host.

Rising Voices: Please tell us about yourself.

My name is Kaisanan, I am 26 years old, my hometown is in central Taiwan. I am from the Taokas people and my tribe is the waroaral tribe in Nantou Puli. My current work is fighting for indigenous rights.

RV: What is the current status of your language on the internet and offline?

Because the Taokas nation still does not have legal indigenous status, we have been teaching the language by ourselves. We recently published the Taokas dictionary in 2019.

RV: On what topics do you plan to focus during the week that you’ll manage the @AsiaLangsOnline Twitter account?

I will focus on the following themes, on traditional ceremonial culture and traditional food culture.

RV: What are the main motivations for your digital activism for your language? What are your hopes and dreams for your language?

I hope many people can know more about my nation, culture, and how Taokas language can be taught in the school.