The event will be held via Zoom: https://ubc.zoom.us/j/64763345823?pwd=WDNNOXJYN3dOcUhjeTRiZ2VqaU9PUT09. The passcode is 635410. (The meeting ID is 647 6334 5823.). Ife Adebara will give an LOC colloquium:
Abstract: Towards Afrocentric NLP for African Languages: Where We Are and Where We Can Go
We discuss the major linguistic and sociopolitical challenges facing development of NLP technologies for African languages. Situating African languages in a typological framework, we discuss how the particulars of these languages can be harnessed. To facilitate future research, we also highlight current efforts, communities, venues, datasets, and tools. Our main objective is to motivate and advocate for an Afrocentric approach to technology development. With this in mind, we recommend what technologies to build and how to build, evaluate, and deploy them based on the needs of local African communities.
