Dr Lehlohonolo Motake, Deputy Director of Language Services Unit, highlighted the importance of reclaiming Indigenous Languages as legitimate languages of scholarship.

The Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) Language Development and Support Unit (LDSU) is advancing the role of Indigenous Languages in higher education by creating spaces where they are recognised not only as languages of communication, but also as languages of research, scholarship, and knowledge production.

This commitment was brought to life through the Multilingual Writing Retreat, hosted by the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) in collaboration with the LDSU at both campuses. Bringing together academics and postgraduate students from diverse linguistic backgrounds, the retreat challenged traditional approaches to academic writing while equipping participants with practical skills to develop research in the languages that best reflect their knowledge, lived experiences, and scholarly perspectives.

Dr Lehlohonolo Motake, Deputy Director of Language Services Unit, highlighted the importance of reclaiming Indigenous Languages as legitimate languages of scholarship. He encouraged participants to view multilingualism as an opportunity to broaden access to knowledge, preserve Indigenous knowledge systems and ensure that academic research speaks to the realities of the communities it seeks to serve.

Associate Professor Rethabile Possa, Head of African Languages and Literatures at the University of Cape Town (UCT), shares insights on academic writing and Indigenous Languages during the Multilingual Writing Retreat. The event was held at both Bloemfontein and Welkom campuses.

Facilitating the retreat, Associate Professor Rethabile Possa, Head of African Languages and Literatures at the University of Cape Town (UCT), guided participants through the essential building blocks of academic writing, including abstract development, identifying research problems, formulating research questions, conducting literature reviews and developing theoretical frameworks. Through focused writing sessions and collaborative engagement, participants refined their research while receiving practical guidance tailored to their individual projects.

 Reflecting on the retreat, Associate Professor Possa said the diversity of languages represented during the programme demonstrated the value of creating academic spaces where every language is acknowledged and respected. "The writing retreat reached its objective today because we had Sesotho, isiXhosa, Xitsonga, Tshivenda, and Afrikaans-speaking individuals who were happy when I acknowledged and embraced their language. This encouraged them to write in their own language, which is the whole aim of this retreat."

Participants at Welkom Campus Multilingual Writing Retreat.

Beyond strengthening academic writing, the retreat reinforced an important message: meaningful research flourishes when scholars are empowered to think, write and share knowledge in the languages that best reflect their identities and experiences. By encouraging multilingual scholarship, CUT is expanding opportunities for knowledge creation that is inclusive, locally relevant and socially responsive.

Attendees at the Bloemfontein Campus retreat shared that writing theses and dissertations in indigenous languages can help make research more accessible to a wider audience, ultimately increasing its reach, relevance, and impact.

As universities continue to transform the research landscape, initiatives such as the Multilingual Writing Retreat position CUT at the forefront of promoting Indigenous Languages as integral to academic excellence. Through collaborations that empower researchers and celebrate linguistic diversity, the University continues to shape a future where every language has the potential to contribute meaningfully to scholarship, innovation and societal development.